The Book of Tian Yao
by troublesofthebrain
Summary: AU to S3. Aang feels conflicted about his destiny of killing Firelord Ozai. He, and the Gaang seek to find the answer in an ancient book called 'The Book of Tian Yao'. A story of love, fiery battles, and ancient folklore. Zutara, Taang and some Sukka.
1. Disagreements

_****_I'd just like to clarify; this isn't your usual 'Zutarian' Fanfic. Yes, it is Zutarian, but without the arranged marriages and kidnapping. It's a story of how their love could of progressed **_if they were able to get at least the CHANCE together..._**. And, I don't hate Aang. Yeah, he made some mistakes by always pulling out and running away when things got bad, but Zuko made mistakes too. Please don't just dismiss this, and if you do read, then thank you._****_

**_EDIT: I changed the prologue to fit in with a twist of the story which wasn't initially part of the plot. _**

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

_**_**So, this AU starts in Season 3, 'The Beach' episode.**_**_

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><p>Prologue<p>

_The first time I saw her again, it felt as if I'd been hit._

_I have heard that said a thousand times, but I never until then understood it's true meaning: there was a delay, in which my memory took time to connect with what my eyes were seeing, and then a physical shock that went straight through me, as if I had taken some great blow. I am not a fanciful person. I don't dress up my words. But I can say truthfully that it left me winded. I hadn't expected to ever see her again. Not in a place like that. Not just her physically, but everything she had meant to me. Everything she had forced me to go through. Because I hadn't understood what she had done to me until time- aeons- had passed. That, in many ways she had been both the best and worst thing that had ever happened to me._

_But it wasn't just the shock of her physical appearance. There was grief too. I suppose in my memory she existed only as she had then, all those years ago. A pure, innocent, sweet faced girl. Seeing her as she was now, surrounded by all those people, looking so truly and undeniably beautiful. All that I could think was that it was the wrong place for her, the grubby and unkempt people with their drunken ways and ill-mannered habits._

_I don't know. Perhaps that's not quite fair. Not everyone has the gift of beauty and wealth._

_Whatever it was, there, in a place I have never been before, in a place I had no reason to be, I found her again. Or perhaps she found me._

_I suppose I hadn't believed in fate until that point. But it's not hard to, when you think how far we had both come._

_Hard not to when you think that there was no way, across miles, nations, vast oceans, we were ever meant to see each other again._

Chapter One: Disagreements

Katara looked over the side of Appa's saddle into the blurred green shapes she could only make out as trees. She had no idea where they were going; Aang had said he wanted to take them somewhere he had gone before he was frozen in that god forsaken block of ice. Even though he was hugely optimistic about it, Katara worried where he would take them.

He was a little naive at times, he still believed that the Fire Nation were the kind folk they used to be before the war; the kind that didn't want to see the Avatar's head on a pike. When, in reality, that is what most of them wanted more than anything.

'How long until we get there, Twinkletoes? I haven't been able to see anything for _hours,_' Toph groaned from behind Katara. She had this way of making people feel sorry for her, and as a blind twelve year old girl, sometimes it was hard for Katara to remind herself that Toph was a tough girl who could take care of herself perfectly well. She was more capable of taking care of herself than Sokka was.

'Yeah... Which means I haven't eaten ANYTHING in a whole hour!' Sokka shrieked. He grabbed Katara's shoulders and turned her to face him. Shaking her, he yelled 'Look at me! I'M WASTING AWAY!' He grabbed his stomach which was, admittedly, very small.

They had all lost weight, there was no denying that. After a relatively sheltered life in the South Pole where Katara and Sokka had all the sea prunes and arctic hen they desired, living off a handful of leachy nuts and a fish or two everyday had taken its toll. Although, hiding out in the Fire Nation had been beneficial toward everyone. There was no shortage of food in the Fire Nation, and the Gaang managed get money by doing small jobs for citizens.

Katara would wash people's ostrich horses with waterbending when they weren't looking. Toph would rearrange gardens by artistically using earthbending to make sweet trickling streams or uprooting wild mole tailed-salamander's nests in the ground. Sokka would hunt for local butchers, which was by far the best paid job. Even though the demand for fresh meat was high, butchers were scared to hunt for their own meat because the Fire Nation had a strict 'Forest Law'. The Forest Law restrained people from cutting down trees, hunting animals, and even living in the forest. When Sokka asked the butcher why this law had been installed, he told them with pride that it was because the Firelord had said that the forests were ridden with harmful creatures that could kill a person in a heartbeat, and that he wanted to protect his people. Katara thought of it as more of the Firelord wanting to 'dictate his people' instead of 'protect' them.

Being his confident self, Sokka said that he could handle anything that the forest threw at him. Ironically, he was poisoned by a komodo-hog's stinger in the first few days of his new job, and if it weren't for Katara, he probably would have been paralysed from the waist down. Despite this, he continued hunting even though she tried desperately to deter him. Katara did love him, even though at times he was hot-headed and arrogant, he was still her brother. And not only her brother, he was stand in for her father.

Katara wouldn't let Aang work as it could give away his position as the Avatar. Although he was adverse to this, he listened to her as he always would, crossing his arms and sulking for the next half hour until he got hungry.

She hadn't been so worried about Aang since they were being chased halfway across the world by a banished Prince who had been adamant that killing the Avatar would restore his honour. Katara thought about that boy, the boy who had fought and hurt her too many times to count. Prince Zuko. The boy who had stolen her mother's necklace to hunt the Avatar down, the boy who had stolen the Avatar from under her nose when she was trusted to protect him, the boy who had fooled her in Ba Sing Se, the boy who had heartlessly betrayed her. Although she hated to admit it; the way Ba Sing Se went down had, out of anything, hurt the most.

'We're only about ten minutes away.' Aang said with a grin, snapping Katara back to reality. 'Katara, we could probably use some cloud cover.' he added, jumping from Appa's head onto his saddle. He floated down with the grace given to him as an airbender. Thin, light bones; like a bird.

'On it,' Katara nodded and stood, constructing a bending posture. She felt the liquid in the clouds pull her. She raised her arms and swung them above her head in a clockwise circle, dipping her arms in toward her chest as the circle continued. The liquid in the clouds obeyed her movements but she needed Aang to discipline the air. Using similar motions as Katara, Aang created a puffy cloud around the gargantuan sky bison. Katara saw Aang giving her a small smile as they bent the cloud around them. Katara returned it with a polite grin, trying to stifle the worry growing inside her stomach.

When they eventually landed, the cloud dispersed as Aang and Katara stopped their movements. Beaming, Aang floated from Appa's back onto the sand below them.  
>'Welcome to Ember Island, my friends!'<p>

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><p>'Do you have ANY idea how dangerous this is? I- I can't believe you'd be so stupid!' Katara raged, throwing her arms in the air. Aang was backing away from her with a look of horror slowly, but surely growing on his face.<p>

'Come on, Sugar Queen…' Toph took a step between them, putting her hand on Katara's shoulder. 'He brought us here for a holiday. And by the feel of your jumpy vibrations lately, you need one.' Katara looked at Toph, scrutinizing her emotionless face.

'How could you agree with him? You have no _idea_ how reckless this is! We may as well be asking the Fire Nation to come and take us as their prisoners!' Katara yelled.

Katara, Aang, Toph and Sokka stood on a secluded Fire Nation beach. The beach had a pretty cove which made a significant dip in the original coastline design, providing cover from any prying eyes. The sand beneath their feet was white and soft, burning in the sun. They could hear the gentle crash of the blue waves behind them, beckoning them to jump in. Katara stood opposite her three friends, her fists were clenched and her pouting face had taken on a more severe scowl.

'Katara, relax. We're wearing our Fire Nation disguises; we'll be just as safe here as we would be in any other town. We won't go on any other beaches so no-one will see Aang's tattoos, and this cove hides Appa perfectly well. I don't see the problem.' Sokka spoke clearly; defining his point and making it all seem rational and safe. _Then why this rotten feeling?_ Katara wondered.

'Fine. Whatever. But Aang can't leave the cove. Not with those clothes, he'll stick out like a sore thumb.' Katara spat, backpedalling a little.

'What's wrong with them?' Aang asked, picking at his shirt. Katara walked toward him as she went to straighten out his collar. He flinched away from her protruding hands, which made Katara's stomach drop. She brought her hands back to herself and took a step back.

'They're too… Warm.' She spoke in a calmer voice, gentle. She had scared Aang by shouting at him, him flinching away from her spiked her heart with guilt. She gave him a soft smile. 'If people see you wearing those clothes in this heat, you'll look suspicious.' Aang considered her. He nodded slowly, as if he was careful not to set off another fuse.

'Great! Now we're agreed… LAST ONE TO THE SEA IS A ROTTON SQUIRREL EGG!' Sokka ran toward the welcoming sea ripping all of his fire nation clothes off and hopping out of his shoes. He was followed shortly by Aang and Toph who did the same.

Katara watched them run into the icy Fire Nation sea, they screamed and laughed, all so carefree. She wondered how they did it. How they could set all of their worries about Sozin's Comet aside, and just enjoy themselves. The best Katara could do was pretend she was enjoying herself, pretend she wasn't terrified of the Fire Nation, pretend she wasn't losing sleep about the constant nightmares she had.

The nightmares she had were mostly centred around either Aang, Toph, Sokka or her mother. And they always included fire. Her dreams of Aang would usually consist of the world engulfed in flames, even the sea would burn with infernos that licked the blood red sky. He would be standing on a single wooden pedestal with red scars growing on him as the flames scorched his screaming body. Toph would be hidden in her rock constructed tent, screaming in pain as not even she could escape the fires. Sokka would be swimming in the sea, shouting for Katara as the flames quickly advanced on his frantic body.

Katara winced and slumped against the cool, rocky cove wall. She slid to the floor at the thought of these horrors she was exposed to every night. She had always had nightmares of her mother, but they were never as horrific as they were since the Siege of the North. It was safe to say; she was very scared of fire.

She put her face in her now clammy hands and tried to rid the vision of her burning friends out of her mind. Katara was alerted by two pale, shivering legs.

'Are you okay, Sugar Queen? You seem more agitated than usual. And that's saying something,' Toph's damp hair stuck to her skin, water slid down her legs leaving dark, sticky blotches in the sand and a frown coloured her usually expressionless face.

'I'm just worried,' Katara said curtly. She was never one to unload her problems on to other people. Especially Toph or Aang, as her younger friends she felt almost responsible for them, and as for Sokka; he just wouldn't know what to say. He would put his hand on her shoulder and say how he misses _'Mom too, but we need to focus on the task at hand.'_

'Well, don't be. Come on Katara, have some fun.'

'…Fun?'

'Yes, fun. I don't know, grow your hair out long, go ice board surfing, put a t-shirt on,' Toph offered, listing the things out on her hands with stubby fingers.

'Toph, I don't know if you've noticed, but if my hair grows any longer than it already is, I'll be put into a freak show,' Katara laughed heartily. 'And, what's a t-shirt?' she asked, bemused.

'I'M BLIND! How am I supposed to know how long your hair is?' Toph choked, pointing to her faded eyes. She sighed, 'A t-shirt is just a baggy top that you wear. For comfort, I guess,' Katara frowned.

'Why-' Katara began, Toph quickly cut in, not wanting more conversation, apparently.

'Oh just come in the sea, Sweetness,' Toph gave Katara an outstretched hand. Before some slight hesitation she took Toph's hand with a bright smile. They walked together toward the glittering sea that Sokka and Aang were mucking around in. Katara felt a wicked smirk grow across her face.

'Hold up Toph, I just want to show these boys whose boss,' Katara growled.

She extended her arms above her head and as she did so, a huge wave towered above Sokka and Aang, casting a looming shadow over them. They both looked toward it in horror and Sokka's yells were muffled with water when she crashed it down on them. As the water drew back toward the ocean to correct itself, Toph and Katara crumpled to the floor with laughter at the sight of a heavily sea-weeded Sokka. A few dozen grey iguana fish flopped around in his lap; he squealed and flailed around in the damp sand, trying to rid himself of the oceans remnants. Aang emerged from a well-constructed igloo of sand, taking one look at Sokka; he burst into laughter along with Katara and Toph.

'That's right, laugh at _my_ expense!' Sokka moaned, trying to stand up only to slip and fall back down. Katara looked at the three of them; they were just a useless bunch of laughing kids. In two weeks, these kids would be facing the Firelord and the rest of the tyrannical Fire Nation during an Eclipse. The world's _only_ chance of salvation.

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><p>Katara walked through the pretty Fire Nation town as the orange sunset settled over it. The cobbled beige stone floor seemed perfect; there were no cracks, no potholes, it was immaculate. Little flickers of yellow light coloured red lanterns, they adorned the buildings creating a pathway of light for her. There was a loud, drunken din from a local bar called 'The Blazing Embers'. Katara chose to keep away from it.<p>

She was wise enough to walk through the town to get supplies when the sun began to go down. Mostly because less people would be outside, so if she were to come across some mean looking officials, they wouldn't question her tell-tale skin and eye colour. But, she also wanted to feel the strength rise up in her when the sun lowered and the moon began to shine. She wanted, if not for only a moment, to feel stronger than the firebenders who surrounded her.

Her bag felt heavy on her delicate shoulders, it was adamant to try and push her into the ground. Katara had spent most of the afternoon collecting supplies for when they moved on, they would need to leave in the morning to keep to Sokka's 'Master Schedule'. In all honesty, Katara had never been happier to hear about that stupid schedule being behind. It would mean that they could leave Ember Island, which would mean that the horrible feeling of fret in her gut would dissolve. Ever since the group had landed on this Island, she felt sick with worry. As if someone had been watching them the whole time; as if they were being spied on. Katara waved this notion away; because if what she thought were true, then Toph would have impaled them with a hefty spear of earth. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that every time she went to turn a corner, someone would be there; ready to strike.

Katara made her way to a restaurant called 'Red Gecko Lion'. She wondered why _everywhere _in the Fire Nation had names closely related to anything hot. She sighed and continued into the restaurant, expecting to get four meals for her friends with the last gold piece they had. As she walked into the bustling restaurant she realised she would need other plans, fast.

Her eyes had fallen upon a deadly Fire Nation enemy; she knew she should have listened to her gut. Katara tried to back out of the restaurant, but her legs felt as if they had turned to water. All she could do was stay frozen in place, keeping her eyes locked on the back of Ty Lee. She resisted the urge to bend the liquid from every teacup in the restaurant and take her down. As a very talented Chi Blocker, she was a serious threat. A waitress with a tray full of heavenly smelling tea walked in front of her, thinking quickly –and perhaps irrationally- she grabbed two cups of tea and poured the liquid into her mouth, it burnt her tongue and cheeks but water is water. Her eyes spiked with tears and she finally found her feet.

Katara sprinted out of the restaurant, bag slung across her shoulder and tea burning her mouth; she curved round the corner and it felt as if she ran straight into a brick wall. She sensed warm hands clutch her wrists and heard a voice inside her head before she registered his all too familiar face. '_I'll save you from the pirates,'_ It was Zuko.


	2. The Book of Tian Yao

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

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><p>Chapter 2: The Book of Tian Yao<p>

Aang never asked for this kind of responsibility.

He sighed as he felt the all too familiar crushing sense of realisation dawn on him again; he felt the days running away from him as the Invasion grew closer and closer. He knew his friends did try to understand, but they never would. They would never know how the hopeful faces of malnourished earth kingdom children looked to him and said '_You're going to save the world, aren't you?' _and how he would nod and say he promised.

Not a day went by when Aang doubted himself. Even though he was hoping to escape this feeling at least _once_ by coming to Ember Island, and indeed, when he set his eyes on the white sand and the glittering ocean, it did. But the confliction with Katara earlier in the day had brought this fear flooding back. Whether Sokka liked it or not, Katara was very usually, always right.

Aang was sitting on the overhang of the cove which secluded their beach. If Katara had seen him she probably would have had a coronary. However, she was out shopping for supplies alone. Aang was highly adverse to this; he didn't want Katara going anywhere by herself, not because he didn't believe that she could handle herself, but because he didn't want her to get hurt at all. He felt highly protective over her and Toph sometimes, even though if they had known this, they would resent him for it. Toph would probably pummel him into the ground and not let him out until he did everything she told him to. A smile snuck across his lips.

Toph was certainly headstrong, but you had to admire her for that. Being supressed into good behaviour should have disciplined her, but it didn't. She was one of those rare people who, despite their childhood, would remain totally independent on how they were as a person. Aang was jealous of this trait. If he could wave away how he raised and the morals he was taught to obtain as a child, it would mean he could kill the Firelord without thinking twice about it. Alas, he didn't think he could kill an owl eyed beetle let alone a human being.

He put his face in his hands and groaned. If the others thought he could take down the Firelord, and they obviously had, seeing as nobody really asked if he were going to _kill_ him, they just assumed it; they were deluding themselves. He hopped down from the cove ledge and landed gently on the cool sand.

Sokka was rampaging around about how the sun was going down and Katara had only just left. There was a small fire lit in the cove, shadows danced on the walls of the cave as the fire cracked and grew.

'Snoozles, you've really gotta calm down,' Toph commanded, eating a small lump of whale jerky. 'Katara will be back before you know it, she's a strong girl. She can look after herself and the three of us _at the same time._ You've got nothing to worry about.'

'Yeah,' Aang chipped in 'She'll be okay. She always is,' He didn't know if he was saying that to back Toph up, or to persuade himself that she _will _be okay and that all of this worrying is a waste of time. Sokka shook his head and plunked himself on the sand next to Toph.

'…Do you have any more of that whale jerky?' He asked in a small voice. Toph smiled and closed her eyes.

'None for you, loser.'

Sokka whined as Aang slumped against the rock wall, resting himself on the soft sand below him. He watched them argue and tried to soften his mind.

As he did so, everything around him began to fade into a soft, yellow haze as his mind detached itself from reality. He closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, he was looking into the soft face of his past life; Avatar Roku.

'Roku!' Aang crooned with a beam. He resisted the urge to run into his arms, Roku would know what to do, he always did.

'Hello, Aang,' Roku's wise old voice spoke. 'I have contacted you, at this time of your confusion because I am concerned as to why you feel you cannot kill the Firelord.'

'I can't kill the Firelord, Roku. I just can't do it. I grew up with the teaching that _all_ life is sacred, and… Killing another human being just seems wrong. Regardless of who it is,' Aang spoke with fearful voice, hoping Roku would at least try to understand.

'Aang…' Roku began, his voice echoed in the spirit realm they were in. 'As the Avatar, we were bestowed with the job of keeping balance in the world. If killing Firelord Ozai is the only way to do so, then so be it,' His voice rasped with the age of his own and thousands of lives before him.

'But, if I kill Ozai, what does it prove to the world? Nothing! Just more mindless violence!' Aang yelled, feeling helpless rage tickle his throat. Roku looked away from Aang with a strained expression.

'You're right, Aang. Maybe there is another way.' Roku proclaimed, his eyes widening. Aang's heart skipped a beat. 'In the time before the Avatar, where both spirits and mortals lived in the world as one, four spirits focused on bending their chi; the elements within themselves. And from this, they derived the power from them_selves_ to bend the elements. One was Air, one Water, one Earth, and one Fire. The four spirits recorded all the knowledge that they had of bending in a book that only they would be able to read.

'After years of war between mortals and spirits, known as 'The Endless War,' the spirits wanted to create a mortal-spirit hybrid to be the bridge between worlds as they believed that the spirit and mortal world could not co-exist peacefully. Thus, the Avatar was created. The one world split into two, but not before some of the spirits children had been wrongly put into the mortal world. These were the beings who had been banished from the spirit world. And these spirits; were the first benders.'

'Oh, wow. That's really interesting. But… How does that help me defeat the Firelord?' Aang asked, frowning. Roku gave him a small smile before continuing.

'The demons of the spirit world resented the Avatar. They saw the Avatar as a threat to their lives of treachery and wickedness. The demons stole the book created by the four bending spirits, and tainted it with dark magic. They used it to tempt the Avatar. For, you see, the book would not only show the Avatar how to strip someone of their bending skills, or indeed bestow the ability to bend upon someone; it also showed them the truths of their lives and their destiny. But it would show them things of their life that they didn't want or need to know.

'It would sometimes cloud the truth with thoughts of hate; which in legend, lead to their own demise if they didn't have a pure heart. Of course, very little mortals have pure hearts, and as the Avatar was half mortal, more often than not they were killed. The demons made this book to embarrass the creators of the Avatar, and to be able to wreak havoc without anything stopping them.

'When the demons had used this against the Avatar time and time again, the four spirits used their awesome powers to defeat the demons. They exiled the book to the mortal world, where nobody could use it against the Avatar. Only the Avatar can open the book, but it remains to this day, fouled with darkness. The book was renamed 'The Book of Tian Yao' which means 'The Book of The Demon Days'

'However, I believe that the Fire Nation had found the book and hidden it deep within the Dragonbone Catacombs under the Palace when you were in that iceberg. They too had heard the stories of how it came to be and feared that if the Avatar found it, they would use it against the Fire Nation to overthrow the Firelord and put a stop to the Fire Nations reign over the land.' Roku finished. Aang had only just realised that his mouth had fallen open, and he was gaping at Roku like a koi fish in spring. He shook his head as the story sunk in.

'So… What you're saying is that I need to find The Book of Tian Yao to learn how to strip the Firelord of his bending abilities? Risk _everything _to find the book, and, if I don't even have a pure heart, I will be killed?' Aang questioned, a feeling of fear mixed with strong excitement made his heart quicken.

'That's right.'

'Wow,' Aang had never really thought that stripping someone of their bending abilities would even be possible- let alone that would be what he had to do if he wanted to defeat the Firelord. He looked up into Roku's face, his past life. 'I think I have a pure heart,' He breathed.

'I think so, too. I believe in you Aang, I know you have it in you to defeat the Firelord, and restore balance to the world.' And with that, he was gone.

The dreamlike state he was in diminished, and when he opened his eyes he was back in the cove, the campfire still lit. He was surprised to find Toph's head on his lap, her body lying next to him.

'Hey, Twinkletoes,' Toph said softly. Even though she couldn't see him, Aang smiled at her.

'Hey, Toph,' He replied. She sat up and looked at his face with sightless eyes.

'You're not going to kill Firelord scumbag, are you?' She asked, her voice still gentle despite the content of what she was saying. Aang found himself putting a hand on her cheek, she blushed lightly.

'No,' He answered, searching her glittering eyes. A punch hit him hard in the gut, killing the rare tender moment that Toph had made. He hugged his stomach as a squawk left his throat. Toph chuckled.

'You're as soft as a sabre-toothed moose lion cub, you know that?'

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><p><em><strong>SAY AY FOR PLOT LINES.<br>Sorry for the two, very short chapters. It just felt right to end it here. I'm going to try and update this story at least once a week. It was three times, this week!**_


	3. Fire Whiskey and Vodkine

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

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><p>Chapter 3: Fire Whiskey and Vodkine<p>

Katara's eyes widened as did Zuko's, he opened his mouth but before he could say anything- or shout, for that matter, Katara spluttered the scolding tea in his face. Zuko yelped, he stumbled backwards and in his confusion he released her wrists. She pushed past him and careened through the town with adrenaline pumping freshly in her ears. Tears were sliding down her face as her heart thudded in unison with her feet slapping the cooling ground. As Katara sped up, the red lanterns looked like thin blasts of fire as they merged into one. Katara's lungs protested as her breathing became shallower and shallower, she began gasping for air and her head felt light; like it was detached from her body.

She didn't know if she was being followed, she hoped to the spirits she wasn't. Katara looked at the full moon. _Please, Yue, if you're watching me right now, help me! _She thought. To Katara's utter dismay, she felt her foot skim a fire whiskey shot glass, as it did she felt her body fly backwards, she saw the stars, the moon, her legs, and then felt back of her head hit the cobbled stones with a harsh _thwack__**.**_

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><p>'Hey there sweet sugar cakes, hit your head?'<p>

A mumble echoed in Katara's aching head. She located a sharp, damp pain in the back of her head and her stomach lurched. She tried to open her mouth but it stung in agony. All that came from her lips was a small squeak. She gritted her teeth and opened her eyes.

Three swaying men stood over her with mocking faces. They all had stubble on their chins and their yellow eyes glinted in the fire of lanterns. One was crouched next to her with a small smile. He had a large jaw which had odd quirks here and there. As an experienced healer, Katara assumed that he had been in many fights over the years, and his jaw had suffered the most hits. She looked at his neck, she could see the edge of burnt skin, puckered and raw but hidden by his collar. The man cleared his throat and straightened his collar out, as if he had seen her looking. He had a kind face, which was strange for somebody in the Fire Nation. They usually had scowling faces, with small, hateful eyes. The only other person with a face like this who belonged to the Fire Nation was General Iroh, a man who had assisted Zuko in his attempts at capturing Aang. However, Katara's opinion of him changed dramatically when he helped save the Moon Spirit at the North Pole, and _again_ when he saved Aang and Katara's skins in Ba Sing Se.

'Are you alright?' The Fire Nation man asked. His breath stank of alcohol.

Katara knew this smell from when her mother was still alive and her father and their warriors were still in her tiny South Pole village. On special nights, weddings, mostly, her mother and father would drink a 'special drink for grown ups' and they would smell like this. Katara vaguely remembered all the adults at the party smiling and laughing, slinging their arms around each other and singing in horrible, drunken voices. Sokka once snuck one of the drinks and let Katara have a taste, she wrinkled her nose and spat it out- why adults would want to drink this horrible tasting liquid she would never know. Those memories were one of her most cherished. She forced a smile and nodded.

'…Too much to drink.' She added, her voice sounded wrong. It was raspy and her cheeks and tongue ached when she spoke. Katara laughed nervously to ease the tension that was wrapping around them. All the men around her cheered and said incoherent, drunk words. Her hearing had faded and she kept seeing stars every time she blinked. She knelt up on her elbows and realised how badly she had hurt herself. Katara was in her own, soundproof bubble, any noises she heard were quiet and stifled, accompanied by a high pitched ringing noise that made her head spin. Panicking, she accepted a hand from one of the drunken men, who yanked her up off her feet. She fell into the man's chest.

'Well, then maybe you want to come out with us and drink a little more.' The man spoke in a growling voice. Katara pushed away from him realising how vulnerable she was. After all, she was a fifteen year old girl in a secluded area, surrounded by a group of jaunty, intoxicated men. If her head was clear she would be able to waterbend, and take them all down. She even felt the pull of liquid from a nearby water barrel. She felt blood slide down the back of her neck and knew she needed to scarper.

'Woah, wait. I think your bleeding…' The kind faced man said, inching toward her. Katara's heart thumped in her chest, she was surrounded by these men. She was not naïve, she knew that if these were the type of men she feared they were, she was in serious trouble. Even if the kind faced man turned out to be good, there were three others who were looking at her body in a way that made her squirm. She wished for her conservative, blue Water Tribe clothes instead of these skimpy Fire Nation ones. The kind man touched her shoulder and she flinched away into another one of his friends, who grabbed her waist and whispered in her ear.

'Oh come on, we won't hurt you…' The smell of the alcohol radiating from his breath made her want to vomit. She wasn't sure if it was because she was so scared, or because of the vile smell. Collecting every ounce of her strength, along with the heightened power the moon was providing, she widened her stance and ripped the water from the wooden barrel with unexpected force. The men yelled as the water smashed over each of their heads, throwing them to the ground. Before they could stand, Katara froze their dampened heads to the ground with a great icy breath. She jumped over their writhing bodies and paused; feeling a swell of triumphant pride rise up in her stomach she swung around and did a strange, dismissive action with her arms she once saw Sokka do in the Earth Kingdom before they found Toph.

She smiled and added 'Water Tribe.' before she sauntered off into the darkened town. Katara knew needed to heal herself if she wanted to get anywhere.

She picked up her pace as she entered a busy area; the bar called 'The Blazing Embers' was full to bursting. As she walked past the busy bar, she picked up half a pint of water in a glass on the window sill. She smelt it, making sure that it _was _actually water, and when she recoiled at the strong smell of what she thought was vodkine, she shrugged her shoulders; it would work the same as any other liquid. After all, vodkine was just mudatoes that had been grounded and fermented.

She slinked into a dark gap between the bar and another empty building. Katara bent the vodkine out of the glass and pulled her thick hair up away from her shoulders. She winced as pain sliced through the back of her head. Ever so gently, she applied the vodkine to the back of her head and felt her healing powers take effect. Despite whatever any onlookers may have thought, healing _hurt. _It was a painful process, but it was a helpful one. She gritted her teeth and tried her hardest not to howl in agony as she felt her skin knit itself back together. That was by far the worst part. After the extreme pain, it was blissful to feel the cool water soothing it; but this time, she wasn't soothed. She knew that she had been healed, but the vodkine was just providing a stinging feeling that should have been long gone.

She suddenly remembered her time in the North Pole in the Healing Huts. Even though Katara was trying not to look too interested, some of the things were certainly sinking in. The fact that if somebody is bleeding and there is no water available, to put pressure on the wound for as long as necessary. Or that if somebody had been drowning, you can bend the water from their lungs if you're a good enough bender. Her teacher had said that pure alcohol can be used to cleanse a wound. Katara assumed this is what the vodkine was doing; she knew it was probably good for her, but she couldn't be dealing with the pain for longer than she had to. She bent the vodkine away and let it splash to the floor, she was no _way_ using that on her mouth.

With her head healed, she finally stopped bleeding. She knew that she had lost a lot of blood and she knew that would explain why she couldn't walk straight or why every single time she closed her eyes she saw Zuko's surprised face drenched with boiling hot tea. She smirked.

She walked back to the cove with her backpack still firmly tugging at her shoulders. She was surprised that she still had the supplies. Katara was simply relieved to walk out of the busy, well lit town onto the dark secluded beach. The beach they were staying at was quite a while away from the main town, so she still had a long time to walk. Katara had no idea what time it was; when she lost consciousness, it was just beginning to get darker. When she woke up, it was completely dark. She began to worry about Sokka, Toph and Aang. _What if they went looking for me? What if they bumped in to Zuko and Ty Lee? _She shook these daunting notions from her mind. Even if they did bump into Zuko and Ty Lee, they would be more than capable of sorting the two creeps out.

When she saw the sea, she bent water from the rippling ocean and began to heal her mouth. Primarily, it began to sting, but it soon settled down as the water soothed it. She bent the water away from her mouth and instantly felt more comforted that she wasn't hurting anymore.

Katara saw a small campfire in the distance, and smiled. It had been a strange day, and a dangerous one at that. She was glad to return to some sort of normality. As she neared the campfire, she sensed that something was wrong. There was silence where joking voices and laughing should have been. She found herself running toward her three friends, the only family she really had left.

Katara had learnt, from previously in the day, that running around a corner without thinking was probably not the best idea. She inched toward the inside of the cove with her back against its rocky wall. Katara made sure she wasn't casting any betraying shadows from the campfire light. She strained her ears for noise.

'…What do you think he's doing?' She heard Toph's quiet voice.

'I don't know, Toph. Probably trying to find out where the hell Katara is.' Sokka grumbled. Katara exhaled the breath she was holding and moved inside the cave with a rueful smile.

'Sugar Queen!' Toph exclaimed.

'WHERE IN THE SPIRITS HAVE YOU BEEN?' Sokka exploded, his voice resounded through the cave, making both Katara and Toph flinch. Katara opened her mouth to speak but her eyes found Aang, slumped against the cave wall, unmoving. Her heart was in her throat; she stumbled toward Aang before a strong hand grabbed her shoulder and ripped her back. 'WELL?' Sokka demanded, a look of intense fury on his face. Katara shook his hand of her shoulder as she felt anger rising up in her own body.

'Do you want the part where I bumped into Prince Zuko or the part where I nearly got attacked by a group of drunk men?' She spat, defending herself. Sokka's hardened face fell, and horror replaced the scowl. Before she could say anymore she was in his arms, the life almost being hugged out of her.

'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. My baby sister…' He spoke into her hair, tightening his grip. Katara patted his back and pushed him away.

'Sokka, I'm fine. Look at me,' She gave him a bright smile and opened her arms. He did look at her, smiling back. That's when Katara's knees buckled and she hit the floor, bracing herself with her arms. And that's when both Sokka and Katara noticed the blood on the backpack; she had lost a lot of blood. Sokka's eyes doubled in size.

'You're bleeding!' he cried, pointing to the bag. He knelt beside her holding her up.

'I _was_ bleeding. I healed myself, it's okay. I'm just a bit weak is all.' Katara whimpered. She was aware by a shift in the sand as Toph knelt next to Sokka.

'You shouldn't have gone out alone. I'm so stupid…' Sokka stressed. Toph put a hand on his shoulder. 'What happened, Katara? Was it Zuko? Did he hurt you?' He growled. Katara shook her head meakly.

'No, I went into a restaurant to find food- that's when I saw Ty Lee. I stole two cups of tea and put the liquid in my mouth so if I was attacked I could defend myself. That's when I ran into Zuko. I spat tea in his face.' Katara paused, biting her lip. Sokka snorted, and then they both burst out laughing. Sokka patted her shoulder.

'Nice one, sis.'

'And then I pretty much ran for my life, when I slipped on a fire whiskey shot glass and knocked myself out. I woke up with these men surrounding me, and they were grabbing me and telling me to go for drinks with them so I froze them to the ground.' Katara frowned. In hindsight, she knew that was a bad idea.

'You WHAT?' Toph and Sokka said in unison. Katara shrugged.

Suddenly, her head felt too big, and her clothes too tight, Sokka felt too warm and the sand felt too cold. Her mouth was dry as she tried to swallow the sick feeling in the stomach down. Her eyes felt heavy and she only managed to croak out 'Water.' Before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she passed out.

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><p><em><strong>Thank you to seraglio for helping me out with editing. Thank you for your reviews; they keep this story flowing! Loads of action next Chapter, so don't despair!<strong>_


	4. Unlikely Allies

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

_**Big thank you to seraglio for editing, and just being awesome.**_

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><p>Chapter 4: Unlikely Allies<p>

_A flicker of light shone into Katara's sleepy eyes. When she opens them she sees her mother's genuine face_ _smiling down at her.__ She is laying on soft polar shark skins in her tent back in the South Pole. There is a small cobble-stoned heater in the middle of the tent which lays on top of a beautiful woven mat, decorated with intricate shapes; mostly the Water Tribe symbol. Katara's mother is platting her hair humming a tune Katara knows like the back of her hand. __ Katara grins and reaches out to cup her mother's necklace in one hand. She feels secure in her mother's pr__esence, content._

'_Your grandmother passed this down to me when I got married to your father. And one day, when you're old enough; I'll give it to you,' Katara's mother speaks in a melodious voice, sweet and calm. Katara's face brightens and then she is enveloped in her mother's warmth, her tiny arms wrap around her mother's neck and she lets go of reality for a moment._

'_I can't wait,' Katara mumbles into her mother's hair. She chuckles and kisses her lightly on the cheek before tucking Katara's head under her chin. She rocks her and purrs a song that Katara knows all too well._

'_If you be my boat, I'll be your sea. A depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity, ebbing, and flowing, and pushed by a breeze, I live to make you free. You can set sail to the west if you want to, and past the horizon, until I can't even see you, and I'll remember the days, when we used to speak, of the complicated beauty, of a river run dry. That's what I'll remember you by...'_

Katara felt her dream slip away from her, and with it went the warm feeling in her chest.

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><p>'…So, what you're saying is that the Invasion needs to be cancelled?' Sokka's voice said.<p>

'Yep. Pretty much…' Aang replied.

'And, that's the only way you can defeat the Firelord,' Sokka asked.

'Yep. Pretty much,' Aang repeated.

'Oh Twinkletoes, can't you man up and just kill the turkey-rat bag?' Toph complained. Katara's eyes flew open as she realised what they were talking about. She found herself in her sleeping bag, lying on Appa's warm, furry tail. She was sweating quite a bit, she felt spots of sweat on her lip and dotted across her hairline. She bent the sweat away from her face and flicked it to the ground. Noticing she had very ruffled, messy hair, Katara simply let it loose. It was evidently still dark outside, as the campfire was the only thing illuminating in the cave.

'No, Toph. I can't. I just can't bring myself to kill another human being. I can't _kill_ anything!' Aang said in that tone Katara knew so well; the tone that told the rest of the group he was decided and not a force to be reckoned with. Nothing would change his mind now. Katara climbed out of her sleeping bag and patted Appa gratefully. The huge furry beast groaned at her as if to say _'You're welcome.'_ Toph fell silent as Katara walked toward the campfire her three friends were sitting around.

'Oh. Hi- Katara,' Aang stuttered, grinning at her. She didn't humour him by smiling back. She couldn't quite muster up the effort to force a smile. She had only one thing on her mind.

'You want to cancel the Invasion?' she asked, her voice croaking with the impossibility of the sentence. Aang's face fell and he broke eye contact. Katara felt a lump in her throat begin to form.

'Listen, Katara. You need to understand…' Aang murmured. Katara took a deep breath to sooth her mind.

'Okay. I'm listening,' she said a little louder, remaining calm despite the fear churning in her stomach. She slowly settled herself onto the sand, and looked into Aang's grey eyes.

'I contacted Roku in the spirit world, or rather, he contacted me,' Aang said slowly, not taking his eyes away from Katara's. 'He told me that there was another way of defeating the Firelord without killing him,' and some of the fear in Katara's gut evaporated. 'but, to find out how, I need to read The Book of Tian Yao. Supposedly, it's located in the Dragonbone Catacombs under the Fire Nation palace. But if we can get our hands on it-' the fear came flooding back.

'…And, how do you intend to do that?' Katara probed quietly, picking sand out from under her fingernails.

'Well… If we cancel the Invasion force, the four of us could break into the Fire Nation palace during the Eclipse. That way; no-one else gets hurt, and I don't have to kill the Firelord to restore peace.' Aang answered. He paused and a collective hush resounded throughout the cave, all that they heard was the cracking of the campfire. 'If I don't have a pure heart it could kill me,' his voice petered out slowly into silence.

Katara pinched the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb, hoping that squeezing it hard enough would get rid of the headache that began to contaminate her brain. Katara didn't want to seem like a disappointed parent… but she _was_ disappointed. She couldn't understand why he didn't think things through before charging into action.

'Where exactly do you think the book will be?' Katara asked, annoyance sneaking into her voice.

'I told you, in the Dragonbone Catacombs,' Aang answered resolutely. He wasn't going to back down. Even though Katara knew this, she didn't relent.

'Yes, but _where?_Let's suppose you do get into the catacombs under the palace, then what? There isn't going to be a big fancy door labelled 'Book of Tyan Yo' or whatever it was you said,' Katara snapped; folding her arms across her chest. Aang narrowed his eyes.

'You don't have to be so rude all of the time, you know.' he spat back, 'You act so high and mighty with your _morals_ and your _responsibilities_that you won't ever take a chance on ANYTHING!' Aang stormed. He stood up and sand blew around him as he raised his voice further.

'Don't yell at me, Aang.' Katara said coolly, standing up too.

'Stop telling me what to do! Say we get into the catacombs and we find the book, all of our problems will be dealt with! I'll be able to restore balance to the world _so we can get on with our lives!_' He lengthened out the last part of the sentence, drumming the words into Katara's head 'Or, say we don't find the book. At least we can say we _tried_. Oh wait,' he added a scornful laugh, 'you can't try anything because of your mother, can you? You're scared to risk anything because you don't want another void to fill!' The words came out of his lips before he slapped his hand over his mouth. Katara's jaw fell open. Her heart felt like it had been ripped in two.

'Aang!' Sokka gasped. Katara felt white hot rage inside her stomach and scorch behind her eyes.

'My mother died at the Firelord's hands, and so did countless others. Keeping balance would be killing him in return for all of his own, and his forefather's murders,' she spat the words from her lips like they were poison, 'besides, you're the Avatar; killing is in your _blood._'

Before Katara knew it, she was sprinting out of the cave and onto the beach, she didn't know where she was going but she knew it had to be anywhere but there. She blocked out the sounds of her friends calling her name, all she heard was her breath catching in her throat as sobs clawed their way up her neck.

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><p>Katara felt weak. Ember Island was supposed to be a holiday for the group, but ironically, Katara felt more tired now than she had before they arrived... and a whole lot less achy. She hadn't cried this much since her father left the Water Tribe to go to war. Her abdomen ached from where she had been sobbing. Her face felt tight and was still damp and even though she had been crying for a long time, tears still forced their way through her eyelids and down her face. She licked her lips in an attempt to restore some sort of moisture to their chapped surface and she tasted salt. A headache had settled itself inside her brain; it was thudding with her pulse. Katara knew herself, and she knew she was losing composure.<p>

Katara had fought with Aang. It wasn't just a small, petty argument with meaningless insults; it was a full-blown fight. Katara had told Aang exactly what she thought, and she was certain he did the same. He never even thought such hateful things, let alone said them to Katara just to prove a point. Being the Avatar, killing _was_in his blood. All of his past lives had murdered, or at least been willing to murder in order to fulfil their duty of keeping balance.

Even though Katara never said it, she resented Aang for not wanting to kill the Firelord. As the designated cooker, she found the fact that he didn't eat meat annoying and a little petty. But this was on a whole other scale. When they were kids, Katara had always gotten her own back on Sokka if he ever hit her. She would either put something vile in his dinner, wash his clothes with seawater, or drench him with a bubble of water – if she could manage to muster up a big enough waterbending globe with her uneducated skills. In other words, Katara had lived by the 'eye for an eye' rule for most of her life. She didn't understand how after Aang's entire civilisation was destroyed, he still didn't want to rip Ozai's throat out. Katara frowned. She was usually a peacemaker herself, yet here she was, her brain spewing pure hatred with every thought.

Katara shivered as a cool breeze ran through her bones. Palm trees whistled and the stars shone like tiny pinpricks of light. Katara felt her mouth tug up at the corners as she saw them. They were like snug, glowing houses in the snowstorm, tiny flecks of hope in an otherwise dome of oblivion.

'Well,' Katara heard a familiar voice say. It was a voice that made her body stiffen and prepare itself for battle, 'aren't you a big girl now.'

Without even stopping to acknowledge him, she spun around to find a shaggy haired Zuko. She made a swerving movement from the ground with her whole body, leaning on one knee and standing on the other foot. She extended her arms to summon overpowering surf from the sea below her, and smashed it upon him.

He, in turn, batted half the wave away with a huge blast of fire but it wasn't quite enough. A grin crossed Katara's lips as he fell to the floor.

Katara summoned another wave and slammed it in Zuko's direction. As he had last time, he just evaporated most of the water with a fiery blast before it could do any real damage. She paused and a confused expression painted her face. Zuko sat on the grass, staring into Katara's hateful eyes. After a minute of silence broken up by panting breaths and whistling trees, Katara took a step toward him.

'Why aren't you fighting back?' she spat, as if even the mention of Zuko's being disgusted her. She waited for his feeble reply, not breaking her defensive stance.

'Because I deserve every hit I get,' he replied. Katara's body relaxed slightly, before she realised whom it was at her feet and tensed again.

'Is this a trap?' she snarled, raising a thin coil of water from the ocean. Zuko looked at his soaked body before closing his eyes and putting his hands in the air, surrendering.

'No, it's not,' he said calmly. Katara didn't know this voice. She had heard it once before, in Ba Sing Se; before he tricked her.

'How can you possibly expect me to trust you?' she yelled, threateningly moving the ribbon of water toward him. Zuko stood up awkwardly, keeping his hands above his head. He didn't make eye contact.

'I'm sorry,' he said in a wavering voice. Katara straightened her posture and released the watery coil from her grip. It fell behind her, leaving shining strip of grass amongst the dried out dullness around it. Katara was completely overwhelmed, Zuko never apologised. Yet there he was, hands in the air, doing just that.

'You're... sorry?' Katara asked, her voice hitching at the end of her sentence. Zuko nodded and she saw the glint of his yellow eyes in the moonlight.

'I... After Ba Sing Se, I was re-crowned Prince. The entire Fire Nation thinks I killed the Avatar,' Katara swallowed. He paused and took a small step toward her. In response, she felt her foot slide back. 'I know I haven't. I know you've healed him.'

Even though Zuko didn't actually ask a question, Katara heard it in his voice. He didn't know for sure whether or not Aang was alive, and now was the perfect time for her to put these ideas to bed. Admittedly, Zuko knew about the healing water from the spirit oasis. He knew that it had special properties, and indeed, it had saved Aang's life… but just barely. To lie to him about Aang's survival could mean the Fire Nation remaining in their happy little bubble of ignorance until Aang came and struck them down. Katara looked away from Zuko with exasperation. Aang wasn't going to strike anybody down. She hadn't been paying attention to Zuko for so long she didn't realise how very close he was to her. Katara had to actually look up to look him in the eye, which had widened considerably.

'He is alive isn't he?' Zuko pressed, his face taking on a perplexed look. Katara sighed and turned her back to him, taking three strides away. She felt more comfortable with the distance.

'Of course I healed him, of course he's alive.' she said dryly. 'With no help from you or your crazy sister! We only escaped with our lives because of your Uncle,' Zuko flinched. Katara heard two knees hit the floor. It wasn't until she turned around when she saw his body shuddering and realised she had made him cry. Her motherly instinct made Katara reach for his shoulder but she stopped herself before she actually touched him, pulling her hand back.

Katara had never seen this. She had never seen anyone from the Fire Nation cry, let alone the Firelord's own son. Memories of the Fire Nation fishing village she helped came flooding back to her, how the people in that town; although Fire Nation, were damaged by the war too. They were wracked with poverty, and all because of a munitions factory caused by a war. With this in mind, Katara searched herself for some sign of sympathy – any form of forgiveness, even pity would at least suffice. When she found nothing, she willed herself to move away from his shaking body. He looked up at her with a half shining, half ruined face.

'I can't trust you after all that you've done to me,' she felt blood rush to her cheeks and coughed, 'to us.' Katara hugged her arms and let a remorseful expression hone in on her face. Zuko shook his head and stood up. He wiped his face with his red shirt and wore a snarling expression that Katara was more accustomed to.

'I don't need your trust,' he retorted, 'I need the Avatar. I want to join your group.'

Katara's mouth fell open. She hadn't known what she expected from this conversation, but it certainly wasn't this.

'What do you think this will accomplish?' Katara asked, resisting the urge to kick him in the groin. She sniggered. 'You realise just how pathetic you sound, right? I'm not sure if this is a trick, or another way to restore your precious 'honour'. Trust me Zuko; I won't be fooled by you again. So if you know what's good for you, you'll go back to your little Fire Nation palace-' Katara paused, realisation hitting her like a ton of bricks. She slapped her forehead. 'Holy spirits!'

She ran her hands up and down her body, tugging at lose parts of her robes. Katara caught Zuko's eyes following her hands and she stopped. He looked up at her with an unreadable expression. Quirking an eyebrow, she asked;

'Do you have anything that I can tie you up with?'

'Oh. That won't be necessary...' Zuko mumbled, crossing his arms.

'I'll decide what's necessary. Come on, hand it over.'

Zuko's cheeks reddened slightly as he stood up and took off a thick, black strip of fabric from his waist and handed it to Katara. She did a twirling motion with her finger and Zuko turned around. Katara tied his two hands behind his back being careful not to touch his skin. Once he was securely tied, Katara jabbed him harshly in the spine.

'You need to stay to the front of me at all times. Don't speak, or whistle,' Katara shivered as she was reminded of Jet whistling to signal his friends. Whistling to murder innocent civilians, 'or do anything. Got it?'

'Yes,' Zuko said solemnly.

'Move along, just follow this path until I say otherwise,' Katara instructed, keeping her voice even. She nudged his back to a gravel path; Zuko did as Katara said. The stones crunched underneath their feet as they walked along it.

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><p>Katara was lost.<p>

'We're not lost, by any chance, are we?' Zuko asked.

'No! I know exactly where I'm going,' Katara barked, hugging her freezing cold arms, 'and don't speak.'

She looked at Zuko walking ahead of her; his hair had grown so much since Ba Sing Se. Biting her lip, she wondered why he hadn't tried to escape yet. She knew that he could burn the fabric around his wrists with firebending if he wanted to; and it looked as if it was rubbing. His wrists were getting redder with every minute. Despite this fact, she wasn't going to untie him. She knew he was humouring her and for some reason, felt slightly insulted. Let his wrists hurt, she thought venomously.

"...Do you have any idea what the time is?' Katara asked. After not being aware of the hour for a long time, she felt like she was floating, she wasn't in the world. She was drifting somewhere in between the mortal world and the spirit world, between time and matter. Zuko sighed tiredly. Katara waited for an answer from him but received nothing. 'Hey, I asked you a question!' she pressed.

'You said not to talk!' he replied

'Well, do you?'

'It's about half eleven,' he growled bluntly. Katara nodded to herself. With this knowledge, she felt herself start wobbling down the gravel path instead of her former strong stride. Her limbs felt weak and fatigued; all Katara wanted was a good night's rest.

Katara froze as she heard the sounds of familiar yells. She heard anguish in Sokka's yelling voice. Her heart skipped a beat. She stopped dead in her tracks, deeply regretting the reckless idea she had for Zuko being their 'inside man'. Despite herself, Katara nearly laughed. 'I'm such an _idiot...' _Katara breathed through her gritted teeth._ '_Stop,' she told. Zuko listened; he turned his body to face her.

Katara hadn't realised how dangerous this was when she led Zuko back to their hidey-hole. She had seen Ty Lee earlier, what's not to say that all of Azula's creepy henchmen were here? Katara suddenly didn't feel like it was just she and Zuko walking in the cold, dark night. 'Where are all of your... accomplices?' Katara scoffed.

'My accomplices...?' Zuko asked vacantly.

'Azula, Ty Lee, the gloomy girl with the knives,' Katara pressed. Zuko looked away with a hateful expression.

'They're not with me! I swear! I didn't even leave to try and find you, I just...heard you crying and thought you were Mai-'

'Mai?' Katara asked, confused.

'The gloomy girl with the knives,' Zuko answered, humour creeping into his voice.

'Ah. Why would Mai be crying?'

Zuko settled himself on a rock resting by the gravel path. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh.

'It doesn't matter.' He rasped.

Unexpectedly, a heap of rock rose from the ground and encased itself around Zuko's slouched body up to his neck. He yelled and began squirming, trying to free himself from the rock tomb. Katara took a step back and braced herself for an oncoming attack; she suspected a flock of Dai Lee, accompanied by hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers. Katara was truly relieved to find only a small ally with silky black hair.

'Toph!' Katara grinned.

'Sugar Queen! Who is…The _extremely _nervous, wriggling guy?' Toph enquired, lowering the rock tomb just an inch. Katara glanced at Zuko's indeed, anxious face.

'This is Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation.' She answered.

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><p><em><strong>And there you have it, Chapter four. I'm going to try and update this every Friday. I'm really excited for this story to really get going, so stick with it!<strong>_

**_The song Kya sings to Katara is inspired by 'Boats and Birds' by Gregory and the Hawk. It's a lovely song._**


	5. Dreams, means, and treacherous schemes

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.  
>EDIT: For any confusion there may be about this Chapter; this is what Zuko was going through whilst the rest of the Gaang went about their travels up until the Invasion.<br>Big thank you to seraglio for editing, and just being awesome.**_

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><p>Chapter 5: Dreams, means, and treacherous schemes.<p>

**Part One**

'_No, no. I thought it could work at first but… We can't just put all reliance on Zuko! Which is what we will be doing if we go through with this!' Katara argued. Zuko noticed how she wasn't looking at the Avatar. Not once did she make eye contact with the fuzzy headed boy. He looked truly dismayed._

'_I know where you're coming from Katara; I find it hard to trust him too. REALLY hard. But, we need to get the book somehow, and this is the only way. This is our only choice,' Sokka pitched in. Katara looked to the floor scowling. Zuko wondered why she in particular, despised him so much._

'_You can trust me. I swear,' Zuko said quietly. Even so, the other four people heard what he said as if he had shouted it. He didn't know quite where to look. If he looked at Katara he was met with a gaze that chilled his blood, if he looked toward Sokka he would be scrutinized, if he looked at Aang he would be met with awkward, shifty glances, and, he assumed the blind girl couldn't have known he was looking at her. Zuko felt most comfortable looking at the sand and twiddling this thumbs, which were still firmly secured behind his back. Aang looked toward the blind girl._

'_Toph, is he lying?' Aang asked. Zuko panicked, Azula had warned him about the earthbender who can tell lies from vibrations. Regardless, Zuko kept his face neutral and concentrated on an even heart beat with even breaths. The girl he called Toph approached him and thumped her tiny hand on Zuko's broad shoulder._

'_Say it again,' Toph said to him with a determined face._

'_You can trust me. I won't fail you,' Zuko repeated, looking into her faded eyes. They looked like they could have been green, once._

'_Well, there's no way to tell if he's lying in this stupid sand- but he seems sincere,' Toph concluded, removing her hand and taking her prior place next to Sokka. Zuko exhaled a nervous breath. Sokka grinned._

'_I guess that's settled then. Zuko will retrieve The Book of Tian Yao and meet up with us after the day of the black sun,' Sokka said, clapping his hands together to form a clasp. Zuko felt a smile inevitably form on his face._

'_I won't let you down!' he said defiantly, he had succeeded; they believed him. Aang and Sokka smiled brightly at him._

'_Well… I'm bushed! Come on Toph; let's go find our sleeping bags…' Sokka and Toph left the entrance of the cove to go deeper into the cave with a small torch. Zuko looked toward Aang, the small boy that he had tried to capture multiple times over. He looked into grey, innocent eyes and felt an unmistakeable pang of guilt._

'_Thank you,' was all that Aang said, before he quickly glanced at Katara, and continued after Toph and Sokka._

_Zuko diverted his attention to Katara, who hadn't returned Aang's look. She was leaning against the cove wall, staring to the floor. Zuko wouldn't be surprised if he looked down and saw sand burning under her gaze. He felt like he should have said something to her, something to make her understand what he had done to her in Ba Sing Se. Zuko shook these notions from his mind; he owed her nothing. When she did look up to face him, he was surprised by the severity of her gaze. He almost flinched away from her as she stomped up towards him._

'_You might have everyone else buying your… transformation. But you and I both know that you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past. So let me tell you something right now. If you take one step backward, one slip up, give me one reason that makes me think you might hurt us- you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure it ends, right then and there, permanently,' Katara snarled, her face was only a few inches from his, and he could feel his heart thudding erratically in his chest. Zuko felt a drip of sweat slide down the side of his face. He couldn't formulate a response, so simply stood there with a shocked expression. Actually, Zuko wasn't sure whether or not he looked shocked, or terrified._

_'Um, Katara?' Sokka appeared from the depths of the cave. Katara slowly moved herself away from Zuko, not breaking eye contact until she disappeared into the darkness that Sokka had just appeared from. Zuko turned his attention to a frowning Sokka – his chin was in his hand and his elbow on his folded arm. He gave Zuko a brief smile_

_'Don't worry, she'll grow on you,' he joked gently. Zuko raised his eyebrow, wondering whether or not he wanted an easily angered waterbender growing on him. Sokka's face took on a serious look. 'After the Invasion, we're going to hide out in the Western Air Temple. We decided on that specific Temple because it's close to the Fire Nation, yet totally secluded. The group didn't want me telling you this because, well...'_

_'They don't trust me,' Zuko finished for him sourly. Of course they didn't, he thought. Sokka shrugged._

_'Yeah, but after this, I don't think they'll have a problem at all,' Sokka paused, 'and neither will I.' _

_Zuko winced at his statement. DON'T TRUST ME! He nearly screamed at him. How could they put all of their trust in him? After everything he had done, they trusted him with such an important task? Zuko thought, clenching his fists. The fact that next to nobody had trusted him over his sixteen years, this duplicity felt more than wrong. He wished that Katara had killed him when she was pummelling him with icy waves on the cliff edge near his old holiday house. It would be better than betraying them all so heartlessly later on. He was sure that after this, he would suffer a very painful death at the pretty, seemingly harmless girl's hands. Zuko nodded at Sokka and used firebending to burn his wrists constraints._

_'Until then,' Zuko breathed. He dragged his feet out of the cove, guilt rising up inside of him with every step._

_He wished he had never told Azula that he had found Katara in the town. He wished that he hadn't agreed to her stupid plan to try and join their team and then, when he had their trust, to kill the Avatar. But what choice did he have? If he hadn't agreed to do this, Azula would have told his father that the Avatar was probably alive AND hiding in the Fire Nation, right under his nose. _

_Zuko would rather die at Katara's hands than Ozai's. Perhaps she would show mercy… but then, after that speech, perhaps not._

* * *

><p><strong>Part Two<strong>

'...But your mother's grandfather, was Avatar Roku,' Iroh's voice rasped tiredly, but the content of what he was saying made Zuko's good eye pop out of its socket.

'Why are you telling me this?' he demanded; his hands clutched the rusted prison bars. His gut twisted with a hundred different emotions.

'Because, understanding the struggle between your two great grandfathers can help you better understand the battle within yourself. Evil and good are always at war inside you Zuko, it is your nature, your legacy. But there is a bright side. What happened generations ago can be resolved now, by you. Because of your legacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the Fire Nation. Born in you, along with all the strife is the power to restore balance to the world,' Iroh finished.

Zuko had to admit he was relieved at first when he finally heard his uncle speak to him. He finally heard that voice he was longing so much to hear. But after this conversation, after this realisation, Zuko would have rather Iroh just kept quiet. Zuko looked at his hands wrapped around the cage his uncle was locked in. Rage pitted itself in his stomach; he wanted to kill whoever was responsible for this kind of imprisonment. Zuko felt tears spike his eyes. It was Zuko's fault Iroh was here.

Iroh stood up and walked to the side of the cell, he pulled at a loose brick in the wall and pulled out an odd shaped package. He unwrapped it as he walked toward Zuko, and Zuko realised what it was almost instantly.

'This is a royal artefact. It is meant to be worn by the crowned prince,' Iroh handed the crown toward him. Despite its age, its gold glimmered even in the dark cell. Zuko took it away from his uncle and was surprised by the lightness of it. He cradled it in two hands like a baby turtle duck.

Zuko knew he had to make a choice, right here and now. He needed to make the right one; he knew now what it was. Zuko needed to join the Avatar, for real this time. He needed to dismiss Azula's sadist plan and help Aang work toward saving the entire world from the Fire Nation's wrath. He was ashamed to admit it took finding out about Sozin's past mistakes to finally trigger it. He didn't want to be the enemy; he didn't want to be feared any more.

All that Zuko wanted was a second chance- and the Avatar and his friends offered it to him. He felt disgusted with himself that he ever even thought about double-crossing the Avatar's group. He dropped his head to look at the floor, feeling the sweat in his palms increase around the golden crown as he leant closer to his uncle. The only man who had ever loved him as a son.

'Uncle...' Zuko lowered his voice to a terse whisper; Iroh moved forward an inch. Zuko tried not to wrinkle his nose at his uncles condition, 'I've joined the Avatar to teach him firebending,' Iroh's eyes widened, and instantly began to glitter with tears. He pushed his hand through the prison bars and pulled Zuko into a fully stinking, yet incredibly reliving embrace. Iroh shuddered with happy tears; Zuko with sorry ones. He felt more like he was in the embrace of a father, not an uncle.

Zuko couldn't remember ever hugging his father at all. It was always 'unnecessary'. If Zuko ever tried to hug his father, it would be met with a cold frigid stance. Zuko grimaced at past memories: His tiny body clutching onto his father's side, crying and begging to be forgiven for bad firebending techniques.

'_Please, father. I'll try harder next time I swear!' he would squeak, tears running from his eyes like tap water._

'_That's right Zuko, cry about it… that'll fix your firebending,' his father would say sarcastically. He would push Zuko away from him with a dismissive grunt, and leave the room._

Even though Zuko was young when these things happened, he remembered the desperate feeling in his stomach, the way his heart constricted when he was denied the love he so badly needed. This was shortly after his mother had been banished. Zuko winced, and pushed the memories from his mind.

Because of this, it felt weird being in this sort of embrace; Zuko didn't know what to do with himself. All that he knew was he didn't want to move from his uncle's iron clasp. And they didn't move for a long time.

When they did finally part, Zuko was gifted with the kind smile of conditional love his uncle would always offer.

'He told me to go into the Dragonbone Catacombs and find some book. I'm not even sure what a book is, uncle!' Zuko told Iroh. And it was true; Zuko assumed a book was something like a scroll, but a lot thicker, with loads of different layers. He had no idea how someone was supposed to read it. His uncle chuckled

'A book is usually in the shape of a... drawer, or a robe box. It won't matter; it'll have the title on the front, anyway. They're very rare. What was it they called it?' his uncle asked with a proud smile. Zuko couldn't help but smile back.

'The Book of Tian Yao,' Zuko answered with a questioning voice. Iroh's face darkened, and his lips formed a thin straight line.

'Ah. Zuko, does the Avatar know that book is very dangerous? According to legend, one must have a pure heart to be able to read it without harming the ones that they love- effectively, without hurting themselves,' Iroh probed, his eyes shadowed by his furrowed brows, adding to the sinister words that he spoke.

'They just asked me to get the book, uncle,' Zuko answered, dreading the onslaught of another _very important story_ that Iroh always insisted on telling him. Zuko gave a sheepish grin when Iroh frowned at him.

'Be careful Zuko, many have tried to receive that book from the Dragonbone catacombs before, but none have succeeded,' Iroh continued forebodingly. The air in the cell seemed to chill at his words. Zuko swallowed. He put one hand on the prison cell bar and wrapped it around it, he looked at his knuckles whitening as he increased his grip and after a sharp tug, Zuko asked:

'How am I going to get you out of here?' Iroh gave Zuko a knowing smile.

'Oh, don't worry about me, my nephew. All good things come to those who wait,' Iroh finished with a glint in his eye. Zuko frowned, but he trusted his uncle's judgement enough to bring himself to his feet.

'Goodbye, uncle,' Zuko said sadly.

'Goodbye my nephew, I believe that destiny is on our side,' Iroh replied with a small, tired smile. Zuko nodded slowly, before forcing his legs to move him away from his imprisoned uncle and back the Fire Nation palace.

* * *

><p><strong>Part Three<strong>

_He is surrounded by glittering green crystals and dripping cave walls. Excitement tickles his stomach as he looks into the skinny girl's wide, earnest eyes. She knows his name, but he doesn't know hers. Kya? Katya? It was something like that. He let his tired eyes drop shut and feels her cool fingers press the ragged surface of his scar. Her thumb rests on his lip and he wonders why his heart plummets to his throat. Maybe it's the fact she's going to heal his scar, maybe it's the fact he never lets anyone touch his scar, but he allows her to right now. He hears a thunderous crash that sounds like tumbling rocks and smashing crystals, and when he opens his eyes, there's no longer a sweet-faced girl offering him a new identity, it was a scowling teenager, threatening to take it away. Katara. Katara's her name. He swings around and sees Aang in the Avatar state; he's terrifying. Aang shoots an overwhelming bolt of lightning for Zuko._

He wakes from his dream with a jolt.

Zuko rolled over to face his unopened bedroom door with a heavy sigh. He had planned to do nothing, as he had been doing for the past few days. Zuko had been mulling over the choice he had made to double cross the Avatar, then back-peddling to actually join his group as another loyal member. He rubbed the sleep away from his good eye with one hand. Hesitating, he touched his left cheekbone and wondered why despair filled his gut as he felt the bumpy skin under his fingertips. Zuko thought about his strange dream, and wondered why the waterbender was featured in it so exclusively. Maybe it was because... she was kind when she didn't have to be. He was snapped back to reality when he saw Azula fly through the doors with Ty Lee at her heels.

'Get up, Zuzu. We're going to town,' Azula chimed, strutting over to his bedside. Ty Lee lingered by the doorframe with a rueful expression. Zuko groaned.

'Why do we have to go to town?' he whined, pushing his hand through his hair.

'Because to maintain popularity with the people we have to make public appearances every now and then, dum-dum,' Azula sighed. She grabbed a robe from the floor and threw it in his face. Zuko quietly growled at her. Azula's eyebrow twitched. 'Someone's very grumpy this morning, didn't you get enough sleep, little Zuzu?' she mocked, pouting her lips and widening her eyes. Zuko threw his blankets off his body with a scowl and even though he had pants on, Ty Lee covered her eyes with her hand. Zuko gave Ty Lee a brief confused look before wondering where the third of Azula's posse was.

'Where's Mai?' Zuko asked, sliding into his robes.

'She's come down with a very convenient case of penta-pox,' Azula rolled her eyes, 'so it's just us today,' she continued smoothly. Zuko pushed past her and went to leave the room.

'Let's just get this over with…'

Azula, Zuko, Ty Lee, and several firebending guards traipsed through the Fire Nation Capitol. They were walking through a large, beige cobbled plaza with a komodo turtle fountain in the centre of it. There were red lanterns draped along the rooftops, but they weren't lit. The sun was unrelenting; even in spring the Fire Nation was breathtakingly hot.

Screaming girls were flanking the trio; Azula was the only one who paid them no attention. She looked dead ahead, as if everything occurring around them was just completely uninteresting to her. Ty Lee would offer wide grins and small comments of praise to the fans, usually things like:

'I like your hair too!' or 'Oh thank you! This is my finest silk!' Zuko rolled his eyes – the usual girlish drivel.

Ty Lee trotted alongside Azula like a pet poodle monkey. Zuko looked at all the people screaming and gasping at him, and didn't quite know how to react. He didn't want to show them affection, or to acknowledge them in any way. But he didn't want to be his sister, either. So he settled for little glances of hasty eye contact and very rare, but false, smiles. Zuko thought that when he had returned to the Fire Nation, he would have welcomed this part of his life back with open arms.

He used to love making social appearances; he loved the attention. But now, he didn't want anything to do with them. Zuko didn't want to feel the eyes of a hundred fascist patriots boring into his skin. It wasn't that he hated his people; he hated what they had become. The way that they lived and thought under Firelord Ozai was tearing this world apart. They all believed that the Fire Nation was great and powerful because they didn't know any better. If they had travelled the world like Zuko had done in his quest for the Avatar, they would know how the other Nations lived.

The Earth Kingdom: Struggling in poverty and suppression, but still remaining proud and stubborn. The Water Tribe had remained free from the Fire Nation's clutches for over 100 years, and would fight with every last inch of their power to remain free. If the Nations were strong enough to fight back with everything they had with the Fire Nations threat looming over the world; they would surely be strong without it controlling them.

Azula led Zuko and Ty Lee to a maroon coloured grand looking hall with a wide stairway that extended half way around the building. They walked up the stairs and through two great double doors into a large room with extravagant decoration. Banners with the Fire Nation insignia were hanging from the walls across the entire room, wooden chairs with golden cushions, blood red carpets sat on a grey stone floor.

Different masks from common Fire Nation folklore were in a large glass case. Zuko picked out a few familiar ones, the original face of Koh, Quin-Jin the avaricious, The Painted Lady, Bai Su Zehn the Snake Spirit, Piánzi the Trickster... The Blue Spirit. He tried not to smirk at its presence. He suddenly had a brilliant idea. When they left this hall, that mask wouldn't be there anymore; it would be safely secured under his robes.

There were six double doors with intricate patterns of Fire Nation symbols and pictures of traditions, three doors on each side of the incredibly large hall. Zuko licked his lips. Directly ahead of him was a gargantuan balcony with golden curtains and a pristine marble floor. That's where he and Azula would give their half-hearted speech, he assumed. Azula sat down on the nearest golden chair with exasperation.

'Ignoring the lower classes is so difficult when in their masses,' she said with disgust that sounded faintly like pity, 'we have an hour or so until we have to give the speech, so relax a bit, Zuzu,' Zuko frowned and chose the seat furthest away from her. It was easier to ignore Azula, rather than pick a fight.

'Zuko, we need to talk,' Ty Lee stated. Zuko looked at her, shocked. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she seemed to have an involuntary pout. Ty Lee never said anything in a demanding tone. Zuko nodded slowly, and followed her through one of the connected rooms.

The room they entered was every bit as splendid as the room before. Cinder plants were potted in all the corners, an ancient Fire Nation tradition that is supposed to bring good luck.

'You've broken Mai's heart,' Ty Lee murmured sourly.

'She broke up with me!' he nearly yelled at her.

'You were supposed to find her and ask to be forgiven!' Ty Lee retorted, putting her hands on her hips, 'she's gloomier than ever! And that's saying something!'

'That's not my problem anymore. We're not together,' Zuko snarled. He looked at the floor, 'I have no time for this. I don't need you, of all people, doing Mai's dirty work,' Zuko folded his arms across his chest and left the room. Anger stirred in his gut when he felt a petite hand clamp down on his shoulder.

'Don't just walk away from this, Zuko,' Ty Lee murmured gently. Zuko winced; he never reacted to kindness particularly well. As soon as someone showed genuine kindness to Zuko, he instantly had a soft spot for them. He saw it as a weakness.

'Tell Mai she needs to… Tell her she needs to let go,' he stammered. He left the room, ignoring Ty Lee's small huff and took his place on the golden seat with a grimace. Zuko wasn't sure how he felt about Mai; he had bigger things to worry about than girls. It wasn't like he had some sort of 'undying love' for her. They had been childhood sweethearts, and that was all. He clenched his fists and linked his fingers together.

Ty Lee entered the hall not long after him and sat next to Azula, glowering.

Zuko looked at the glass case of masks; he wondered how he was going to break the mask out without being caught. Then again, he was the crowned prince. Surely he'd be able to ask for it and they'd give it to him. He caught Azula scrutinizing him.

'Let me guess, that was about how heartbroken Mai is without Zuko, and Zuko said that he couldn't care less,' Azula piped up. She let out a scornful laugh. 'You three are so melodram-' a thunderous applause interrupted her. She looked toward the balcony and smirked, 'show time, Zuzu, don't feel like you need to say anything. You'd probably fail, as per usual,' she sauntered to the balcony and through the curtains before Zuko had any time to stand up and smash a chair over her head; instead he growled and exhaled smoke. He gave Ty Lee a quick glance before following Azula through the golden curtains; the circus girl was looking at him with soft, unhappy eyes.

He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the blinding light of the sun. The overview of the Fire Nation Capitol was stunningly beautiful. Breath left his lungs as he saw it; the sheer beauty of the Fire Nation reminded him how much of it was worth fighting for.

He was taking in the radiant scenery so eagerly that he hadn't realised that Azula had already begun to speak. Zuko stared in awe at the cheering crowd below him. He would let Azula do most of the talking, he wasn't planning on making a good impression on 'the people' seeing as he was going to abandon them soon enough.

'…Henceforth, to make more money for the war effort, cuts for workers in cotton factories may take place…' Azula's voice proclaimed. There were no groans from the crowd; they'd have to be crazy to make such an outburst. Azula would snuff them out and shoot them down without a second's hesitation. Zuko did pick out a few faces fall from the crowd, but they corrected themselves relatively quickly. He blinked, were pulling unhappy faces not allowed in this Nation, either? Zuko nodded his head every now and then, just to pretend he was listening.

He wondered what was going to become of the Fire Nation when both Ozai and Azula had been killed. Zuko was hoping that Iroh would take the throne; he would do right by the shambled Nation's virtues. Hopefully, deterring any bad seed's that would remain in the Fire Nation even after their dictators had gone. Zuko was not naive, he knew that some of the public were fiercely loyal to Firelord Ozai, and would cause problems within the new Firelord's reign. Rebellions, riots, even the onset of another war could be possible. A civil war. Thousands would die, for a useless cause...

'Isn't that right Prince Zuko?' Azula asked. Zuko sucked air past his teeth; she just loved putting him on the spot.

'Yes, Princess.' He searched his mind for what Azula's voice had droned while he was thinking about his Nations well being. 'Heightened protection around the town will be installed due to the day of the black sun. People are advised to remain in their homes, and to avoid making any loud noises,' Zuko paused, 'evacuations won't be necessary, but citizens are welcome to leave the Capitol if they must.' There was a small applause and odd cheers. He looked at the smiling faces of the crowd. If only they knew where the scar on his face came from, if only they knew where he had been for three years, maybe then they wouldn't cheer.

'That's right, as my brother was saying; if enemy forces even _dare_ try to infiltrate our walls, they will be met with dire, fiery consequences...' Azula continued.

Zuko shuddered. Azula was right; if the Avatar and his friends tried to attack the heart of the Fire Nation they would be squashed like flaming ants. An eclipse that lasted eight minutes wouldn't give them the opportunity they needed to get past the armed forces at the mouth of the land, infiltrate the palace, and locate Ozai in time to get past his guards and face him. It was impossible; Zuko wondered how they could ever think it would work. Zuko swallowed. He hadn't realised what the date was. He hadn't realised that's why they were here, giving this speech.

The day of the black sun was tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>Part Four<strong>

In the early hours of the next morning, Zuko put the mask of The Blue Spirit over his face and left his room for the last time.

He had a few belongings in his bag; some extra clothes, a little bit of food, a photo of his uncle. Zuko also had his broad swords slung around his back, its sheath resting on his left hip. He strode through the sleeping palace with quiet, muffled steps. He slipped into the shadows every time he heard a guard's loud booted march. He wouldn't fight them; it would cause too much ruckus. He just avoided them with a careful tread. Zuko blinked, it felt like he was in a Fire Nation stronghold, with only one aim and one aim only – to rescue the Avatar. Zuko grinned under the mask. When he was The Blue Spirit, he was nothing else. He wasn't a banished prince, he wasn't a scarred child, and he wasn't the face of the enemy. He was a spirit who stole and connived because he lost the one he loved.

Zuko saw the great double doors for the exit; he wouldn't be able to use those, the guards would see him. He ducked behind one of the huge pillars in the entrance hall. He would need to use a window. He glided from pillar to pillar when the guards weren't looking, with a smirk twisting at his lips.

The he searched the hallway for a good-sized window. All of the windows were tall and thin; they were a faded orange colour and had little flickering balls of fire painted onto them in diagonal lines. He waited for the opportune moment to sneak past and when two of the guards were talking about a bad Koi fish they had eaten, Zuko ran for one of the windows, opened it, and slipped out before they guard could say 'vomited all over my new uniform!'

Zuko instantly returned to the shadows; there were plenty more guards outside. This was harder than he thought it would be; but he had done it before. He stealthily ran to the side of the palace and located the small hedgerow. He darted into the cover that the greenery provided.

Zuko took a bracing breath, and continued to the Dragonbone Catacombs. Zuko couldn't deny that he was somewhat worried that he wouldn't be able to find the book in time. He was worried about facing his father during the eclipse. He was worried he would get caught as The Blue Spirit. He was worried about his uncle. He was worried that if the waterbender ever found out that his first plan was to double cross the Avatar, he would be killed. He swallowed but didn't stop tiptoeing toward the catacombs.

Zuko was certain this mission would include a lot of crafty moves, absolutely no bending and shallow breathing. Despite his fears, Zuko felt more at home in this disguise than he had felt since he had been banished from the Fire Nation.

When he finally arrived at the catacombs, he promptly headed for the entrance and made sure nobody was around. He sauntered over to circle panel in the ground and punched fire into it; as Zuko expected it would, it opened with a heavy groan. He walked down the spiralling staircase and heard the panel above him begin to slowly close. He was quickly enveloped in darkness and was forced to use firebending to light his way down the stairs. He eventually came to a long, thin hallway which had hundreds of doors on each side that all spurted out into separate halls and rooms accompanied by huge, fearsome dragon's skulls. Zuko felt dread eat away inside of him; how was he going to do this alone?

The dread was replaced with fear when he saw one of the black, metal doors open. Thinking quickly, Zuko sprinted to the door and pressed his body behind it. When it shut, it revealed an elderly sage with an old looking scroll and a small flame in his hand.

Zuko brandished his swords and crossed them over his neck. The ember in the sage's hand diminished and they were both engulfed in resounding darkness. Zuko felt the sage's jaw open to yell, but quickly snapped shut when Zuko pressed the sword tighter to his throat. Zuko smirked; this couldn't be more perfect. He pressed The Blue Spirits face against the man's ear, and put on a deep, harsh voice.

'You're going to tell me where The Book of Tian Yao is, or I will slice your throat in two,' he threatened, tightening the swords further. Zuko was sure he was cutting him. The old man shook with fret.

'The Book of Tian Yao? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?' The sage asked, his voice cracking.

'I don't care,' Zuko hissed, 'tell me where it is now.'

'Okay, okay! I'll take you to it,' the sage replied hastily. Zuko smirked. He pushed the old man forward and placed one of the swords on his back.

'Hurry up. If you yell, or even dare waste my time, I won't kill you. I'll keep you alive, but just barely,' Zuko rasped, twisting the knife on his back and pushing it into his skin. The sage gulped and walked forward; but not before looking at his attacker. The sage's eyes popped out of his skull when he saw Zuko's mask, but he quickly turned away from him.

He felt guilty about scaring an old man like that, but he needed to find the book. Anyway, even if the sage did lead him on, the worst Zuko would do is knock him out. He could never kill a man who was just doing his job. Still, he didn't lower his sword from the man's back.

They had been walking on oddly placed crunching bones for a fair amount of time until Zuko had noticed how deep underground they really were. This place was a labyrinth. The twists and turns of the catacombs gave it a sinister feel; people intent on stealing from this part of the catacombs would be lucky to make it out alive… the thought made him shudder. He was suddenly thankful for the sage. He lightened his swords pressure on the old man's back.

'How far away are we?' Zuko demanded.

'Not far, only five more minutes,' the sage replied softly, 'can I ask you something?' Zuko's eyebrow twitched, the sage's confidence had grown as they continued through the catacombs. Probably because the sage knew perfectly well that if Zuko were left alone this deeply in the catacombs he would become hopelessly lost.

'What?' Zuko asked in a more approachable voice.

'Why did you choose The Blue Spirit as your disguise?' the sage asked, and he sounded truly intrigued; he had no reason not to be. Zuko sighed. He thought about not giving him an answer, but he felt like he wanted the sage to know who he really was. It wouldn't matter, anyway; he would be leaving the Fire Nation in a matter of hours.

'Because, The Blue Spirit was banished from his home to live as an outcast… we have a lot in common,' Zuko replied lazily. The sage gasped, but didn't stop walking.

'You're Prin-' he began, but Zuko jabbed him in the back with a sword.

'Don't say it,' Zuko hissed. In this mask, he wasn't Prince Zuko. He was The Blue Spirit and that's all there was to it. The sage nodded slowly.

'So... you chose The Blue Spirit because, he was banished to live in the mortal world, but he was still cursed with a fearsome blue face?' the sage paused, 'like you, with your scar?'

'Enough,' Zuko spat. The sage relented. He cleared his throat and pointed to a door ten steps ahead of them.

'The Book of Tian Yao is kept in there,' the sage said. Zuko followed his pointing hand to a black door with a large bump in the middle of it – he couldn't quite make it out from the distance, though. As they approached it, he soon saw the face of a familiar, terrifying demon. The demon was called Emén because in legend, it was known to steal children's dreams and replace them with horrifying night terrors. The demon lived off children's fear. Zuko shuddered at the mere sight of it.

The sage stopped in front of the door and took on a firebending stance. He pumped fire into the mouth of the demon and Zuko heard the door click. The sage twisted the head of the demon right, left, left again, and the right three times. They really had this book locked away.

The door swung open and the sage illuminated the room's sconces from the doorframe. Zuko stood behind him and saw that the entire room was completely empty apart from a black book with the large words 'The Book of Tian Yao' in scratched, faded red propped up upon a stone pedestal in the middle of the room. The sage paused and looked at Zuko.

'I need to conjure lightning in order to deactivate the booby traps,' the sage asked, waiting for confirmation. When Zuko nodded the sage handed the old scroll that he was holding to him, Zuko took it and paced a few steps back.

The sage braced his legs and took a deep breath. He swirled one hand in a circle with two pointed fingers, and as soon as blue streaks began to spout from his fingers he swirled his other hand, creating an awesome, spherical path of lightning. He aimed the lightning for the ceiling and as it struck, Zuko noticed for the first time another statue face of Emén. The face accepted the lightning by fizzling and cracking with hazes of blue and white before dulling back into black stone.

The sage stood upright and exhaled. He walked toward the book and with some effort, pulled it from its pedestal. Zuko followed him into the room with slight hesitation. When the sage handed the book to him, it was about as long as his forearm and as wide as his palm. Zuko grunted as he put it into his bag; it significantly weighed him down. Zuko saw a brief flash of the sage's sad face as he turned to leave the room. The old man followed him, putting out the lights on the sconces as he left the room and re-locking the door. He lit a small fire in his palm, took the scroll from Zuko, and began to walk back the way they came.

They walked in complete silence. All that Zuko could hear was the heavy breathing of the old man and the crunching of bones under his feet. Zuko felt the fear lifting from his chest as they left the depths of the catacombs and away from the statues of Emén.

When they finally got back to the spiralling staircase, Zuko glanced at the sage, expecting him to begin screaming 'THIEF!' When the old man handed out the scroll that he had been holding to Zuko, he couldn't have been more confused. He wondered why the sage was being so kind to him after he threatened his decapitation, forced him into the deepest parts of the Dragonbone catacombs, and easily stolen from him. Zuko's hand trembled at his side.

'This is one of my favourite Fire Nation folklores. I had retrieved it from one of the rooms merely seconds before I bumped into you,' the old man's eyes twinkled. Zuko took the scroll and opened it slightly to reveal the title 'The Shattered Heart'. It was the story of The Blue Spirit; and Zuko's favourite folklore, too. The sage smiled.

'I, like the spirits, do not play with dice, and do not believe in coincidence, my Prince,' the sage continued. He paused, his face suddenly looked troubled. 'There's something terribly wrong with this Nation, isn't there?' the sage asked quietly, looking into the eyes of Zuko's mask. Zuko swallowed. He put the scroll with The Book of Tian Yao, and turned on his heel.

'Thank you,' Zuko mumbled in return, ignoring the old man's question. He began up the stairs with a hasty pace. When he had reached the top of the stairs and opened the panel, he blinked in the harsh sunlight and realised that the eclipse was only a few hours away from beginning. Zuko began to walk toward the underground bunker where his father was being kept; he had a sixteen year-old feud to end with him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Can I just say, I LOVE Zuko. Sorry this one was a bit late. It's a lot longer than the other chapters, most of the chapters will be this length from now on. The first few were absurdly short!<br>**__**As for the Spirits mentioned in this chapter, particularly The Blue Spirit, they will explain themselves later on in the story in Folklore.**_


	6. Iroh's Escape

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.  
>Big thank you to seraglio for editing, and just being awesome.<strong>_

* * *

><p>Chapter Six: Iroh's Escape<p>

Iroh looked out of the window in the ceiling of his cell, and he knew that it was only a matter of minutes before the eclipse would begin.

He began to think of the people responsible for his imprisonment, and he thought of his brother. How he could quite easily squeeze a nation's throat into doing whatever he wanted now, but was once so innocent. When he first began to speak he gurgled Iroh's name before anything else. They were a lot like Zuko and Azula in that way, like pure evilness was the recessive gene. It took losing his son for Iroh to reform, to change his ways. It took Zuko almost half a year, but he turned around by himself. Iroh couldn't have been more proud of his nephew. His nephew, who was so much like his son.

Iroh tried not to think of his son, Lu-Ten. Even after all this time, it was too painful. Regardless, his mind took him back five years, back to the spirit realm where he had desperately tried to find him...

_'Please, blue dragon. I need your guidance... Where is my son?' Iroh pleaded, tears dripping down his old, worn face._

_'Why should I tell you, General Iroh? Your kind nearly put an end to my species,' the great spirit dragon snarled. 'As the mortals love to say- an eye for an eye, hmm, Iroh? An entire species for a murderer's son? Yes, I think that'll suffice,' the dragon's jaw didn't move as it spoke, its eyes only scowled with the cruel words it was saying. Iroh stumbled forward, his knees colliding with the ground and his hands clasped in one firm, begging fist. _

_'Please, I showed the dragons mercy...' Iroh murmured. He almost instantly realised his mistake._

_'YOU SHOWED US, MERCY?' The dragon roared, rising ten feet in the air and breathing white hot fire. Streaks of blue licked the sky and darkened the atmosphere, 'NO, WE SHOWED YOU MERCY BY SPARING YOUR INSIGNIFICANT LIFE,' Iroh rose his arms to cover his face before the cinders hit his skin. 'Maybe we were too lenient! Leave this place, NOW. Or, you will never live to see another one of your worthless, mortal days!'  
><em>  
>Iroh shuddered with the memory. The intense fear that he had felt then was present in his gut even now. He could almost hear the dragons smooth voice echo in his mind before it erupted into a terrifying roar. He respected the spirits, despite this awful encounter. The spirits had offered Iroh a final chance at seeing his son. After Iroh had spoken with the blue dragon, he sought help from the red dragon. This spirit, more empathetic, brought Lu-Ten's spirit to Iroh. Iroh wasn't sure if it was more painful never seeing his son again, or seeing the confusion on Lu-Ten's face as he saw his crying father slumped into the ground. Iroh blinked the tears that had risen in his eyes at the memory away.<p>

He squinted at the square of light and knew now was his best chance before his powers were gone completely. Iroh stood slowly, and stretched his arms behind his head. He was glad that he told Ming to go home before he busted himself out of this prison. He wouldn't have liked having to kill her after the kindness she showed him. Iroh didn't want to _kill _anyone, but if anyone tried to stop him; he would.

Iroh smirked at the foolishness of putting him in here; they all thought that he would give up, and rot away in this wretched cell. He let himself succumb to the overwhelming anger he had felt toward his captors out in this moment. Iroh ripped his shirt off and let the pillow inside it fall to the floor. His palms burnt with flames that were dying to be unleashed. So he let them. He exhaled smoke and rose two fingers from the two closed ones, extending his thumbs. He felt power bubble in the veins of his arms.

Iroh braced his feet apart and clutched the prison bars with two hands. The metal burnt under his grip, leaving melted black iron running down the bars and pooling on the floor. The air in the cell seemed to dim as the overpowering light of Iroh's blue fire hazed any natural light. The intense blackness of the chamber around him matched his feelings, and drove him on. Iroh ripped the bars apart with his new, immense strength. He kicked his foot in an upward motion, leaving a trail of fire after it; and making collision with the lower prison bars. They too, melted into liquid and were easily ripped apart. Iroh grinned in satisfaction; he was finally free. It was perfect timing, too. He noticed how his cell had darkened considerably since before- the eclipse had begun. His guard had become aware of Iroh's escape but it was too late to be able to do anything now. The cruel man stumbled into the room and as instantly went to firebend at him. Iroh tried not to laugh when all that came from his clenched fist was a tiny pop of smoke. Iroh lunged for his guard's neck with an outstretched hand and threw him against the brick wall mercilessly. The guards head cracked against the brick and he quickly passed out.

Iroh ran out of the cell door and fleetingly sped down the stairs of a prison that _he_ helped construct. He had been a different man the last time he had walked through these dingy corridors. The man he once was disgusted him straight down to his core.

Iroh only encountered a few guards when he was escaping, all of which were firebenders, so were totally defenceless. Iroh quickly disabled the threats, and was out in no more than five minutes.

Even though the sun was blocked out by the moon, Iroh squinted in the light of the day. He wheezed in the freshness of outside, and ignored the intense need to cough as his lungs tried to adjust to air without excessive amounts of dust. As he opened his eyes, he noticed a small group of people standing ahead of him. They must be new arrivals.

There were two guards, one male, and one female. They wore the official uniform that told Iroh they were firebenders. They were accompanied by three prisoners in ragged, red clothing not unlike Iroh. But these prisoners were merely children- Iroh's chest tightened with rage. He looked at the tallest out of them, a girl with short brown hair, and big grey eyes. She was very pretty despite the terrible condition she was in. The smallest was a girl with ruffled brown hair, shorter than the other girls, with a shaggy fringe over the top half of her eyes. There was only one male, a solemn faced boy with sharp features- Iroh recognised the two almost instantly. He had seen them before on a refugee boat to Ba Sing Se. The girl Iroh had mistaken for a boy… Smellerbee. That was her name. And Longshot was the boy's name. He didn't recognise the pretty, taller one though. Iroh scowled at the gaping guards who had secured them. The eclipse wasn't over yet; he still had time to save these children. Iroh instantly charged for the guards expecting a fight, and was surprised when they jumped to the ground clutching their heads and shouting

'WE SURRENDER! WE SURRENDER!' They whimpered on the floor. Iroh smirked; his bark was probably louder than his bite, anyway. He ripped the keys off one of the cowering guards and ushered them away with one, threatening stomp. They scarpered, yelping like elephant rabbits. Iroh began to let the freedom fighters go. Smellerbee turned to him with an inquisitive glance.

'Don't we know you?' Smellerbee asked as he undid the handcuff's around her thin wrists.

'I'm the old man on the refugee boat to Ba Sing Se, my nephew was the scowling boy with the scar…' Iroh said, humoured. He moved onto the tall pretty girl to undo her cuffs. 'You two,' he looked at the freedom fighters, 'are Smellerbee, and Longshot,' they both raised their eyebrows at him.

'Yeah… I remember you. You called me a boy!' Smellerbee accused, still sore about it.

'Wait, wait. The boy with the scar? You're not by any chance talking about Prince Zuko, are you?' The girl asked, with slight detestation in her voice. Iroh frowned.

'Yes. That would be him,' Iroh replied cautiously.

'He burnt down my village,' she said spitefully, turning to look him in the eye. Admittedly, she was very intimidating. She glared at him like a red lion, ready to pounce, 'and if you're his uncle, then you're General Iroh. And if you're General Iroh, then you were on Kyoshi Island when it happened,' Iroh backed away from her with his hands raised slightly.

'My nephew has changed his ways. He's actually left to join the Avatar on their quest for saving the world,' Iroh paused; she had widened her grey eyes considerably. 'Can I ask your name?' The girl looked down and smiled slightly.

'I'm Suki. Are you breaking out to find Zuko?' Suki asked, with a kinder voice. Iroh moved onto Longshot and undid his cuffs before answering her.

'Not to be rude, but I think we should get moving,' Iroh proposed. He pointed toward the forest below them. 'We won't be caught if we go in there, come on!' Iroh yelled, hurrying them toward the vast Fire Nation forest.

* * *

><p>They ran through the forest slowly. Being malnourished, harshly battered and extremely dehydrated didn't help their cause. They were all out of breath before they even got half a mile into the wood.<p>

'Okay, let's stop…' Suki panted, collapsing onto the ground. Iroh nodded and sat down next to her. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and laid back. He surveyed the ashy squirrel's jumping from tree to tree and for the first time in weeks, felt peaceful. 'We're not really far enough away from the Fire Nation than I'd like to be, personally. We should get going in an hour or so,' Suki continued breathlessly.

'I don't know if I'll be able to go any further without any food,' Smellerbee announced tiredly. Longshot nodded in agreement. Suki bit her lip.

'Well okay, but we'll have to eat it raw.'

'RAW?' Smellerbee and Iroh said in unison, cringing at the idea. Suki looked like she was going to laugh, but the life had just been completely sucked out of her- she barely managed a grin.

'Yes, raw. It's really good for you-' Suki began, Longshot put his hand on her shoulder, silencing her.

'I'll get them,' he said sombrely. Smellerbee jumped up and latched onto his hand.

'I'll go with you, Longshot,' Smellerbee insisted. He nodded and Iroh watched them walk into the forest with hunter's quiet footsteps.

Suki stood up with difficulty and wobbled on her feet. She moved to the closest tree and began ripping leaves off the branches. Iroh's stare caught a rare white dragon plant that he knew made such delicious tea it was _heart-breaking_. His heart leaped and he shifted to get it, but his eyes saw Suki's wounds before he could stand; she had been hurt- badly. There were more rips in her clothes than the other kid's clothes. He winced as his eyes caught hard, finger marks on the higher part of her arms. Poor, poor girl, Iroh thought sadly. Where there were rips, there were burns and bruises. She put the leaves on the ground where she was earlier, and sat down carefully. She graced Iroh with a small smile and hugged her arms. She had noticed him looking.

'So, if Zuko's your nephew…' She paused, her eyes glazing over. 'Then Azula's your niece,' Suki concluded. Iroh searched her face.

'That would be correct,' he said warily, scratching the back of his head. She looked toward him, with a scared look in her eyes. She no longer looked like a red lion; she looked like a timid rabbaroo kitten.

'Why is she so _insane?' _Suki asked, truly interested. She probably wanted an explanation as to why she had been abused so viciously. The truth was; Iroh didn't have an answer for her. There wasn't a particular reason Azula was insane- the only reason Iroh could fathom was that she was raised to be like that. She was a child of war, she was the Fire Nation's sick creation, she was a monster. Iroh sighed.

'Because she was born into a family where spreading pain and hate is encouraged, she is no more than Ozai's creation.'

Suki's eyes began welling with tears; her arms were wrapped around her knees that were pulled up to her chin. Suki began slowly rocking back and forth to comfort herself. Iroh reached for her but she recoiled away, and he didn't blame her. A strange man touching her was probably the last thing she wanted. She put her head into her lap and whimpered. Iroh bowed his head and tried not to let tears fill his own eyes. He knew how brutal the torturing was, he had experienced first-hand the iron claw of the Fire Nation. She was so very _young…_

'She asked me where Aang was, and-' she sniffed, 'I told her I didn't know, but,' Suki could barely form a sentence. 'She just kept on burning me! I really didn't know!' Suki screeched- her hands wrapped in her hair. Iroh usually had good advice to give, but what advice could you possibly give to a girl who had been tortured for a question that she plainly couldn't answer? 'Then… When I couldn't answer anything they asked- they put me in a cell, and the men-' she sobbed, 'they made me _hate myself! _I don't care if she's a 'creation',' her voice quietened, 'if I ever see her again, I'll make sure she pays for what she did to me,' she whispered malevolently.

'I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to see that,' Iroh teased softly, Suki took the bait and smiled at him apologetically. She sniffed and wiped the tears from her face, composing herself.

'Sorry…' She started, Iroh put his hands up to stop her.

'Not at all, Suki. I'm sorry for you,' Iroh responded. He paused, and offered her the only remedy he knew best, 'would you like some tea?'

Suki nodded with another smile. Iroh grinned happily. He stood and picked up the white dragon, and pulled some thin branches off the tree Suki had been taking leaves from to make a fire with. He walked back to where Suki was sat and placed the white dragon on the floor. Suki gasped loudly.

'You can't drink that, Iroh! That's the white jade plant!' Suki exclaimed, picking it up by its stem between her finger and thumb. Iroh grimaced.

'It wouldn't be the first time I've made that mistake…' he said thoughtfully. Suki looked at him with shocked eyes and threw the plant into the shrubbery around them. Iroh still proceeded to make a fire, cracking the branches and placing them in a small pile.

'You would really risk that for a cup of tea?' Suki questioned, astounded.

'Of course,' Iroh grinned serenely. He clicked his fingers and a small flame of fire protruded from his hand- he didn't want to startle Suki by creating anything bigger. Iroh lit the collection of twigs and encouraged it to grow with a few heavy breaths. He hadn't realised; that must mean the eclipse was over. Ozai would probably be crawling out of his hole, as would the entire Fire Nation. 'Answering your previous question, Suki, yes. I am going to try and find Zuko, effectively, finding the Avatar and his friends.'

'Could… Could I come with you?' Suki asked politely.

'Of course! A friend will lighten the burden of traveling,' Iroh answered warmly, 'so that loneliness won't come knocking,' Suki grinned at him.

'I tell you what, I'll find us some proper tea leaves, and you keep that promise,' Suki suggested. Iroh nodded eagerly.

'Please, do!'

Smellerbee and Longshot arrived not long after Suki and Iroh had found spiced coconuts and used the juice inside them to make tea. Longshot had three ashy squirrels in one hand, and a ring-tailed lemur in the other. Smellerbee had a cracked, decaying iron pot in her arms. When she put it before Iroh and Suki they realised it was water, and scooped up four coconuts worth of water each, drinking it as fast as they could.

Longshot had found a spear end in the forest, and began skinning and gutting the squirrels. Smellerbee took the ring-tailed lemur and too, began skinning it. Iroh looked at the children around him; they were so resourceful. Although he was happy for them, he was saddened by it, too. These kids probably never got to have a childhood, because the war stole it from them. They shouldn't be in a Fire Nation forest running from evil warriors. They should be in school, enjoying their lives and only suffering with trivial problems like what robes they should wear, how many friends they had. He wondered how many children never had a childhood because of the Fire Nation. He knew the Avatar and his friends were a few. So young, but thrown into a battle against the world. Their lives threatened every day…

'Iroh,' Longshot murmured, handing a skinned and de-gutted ashy squirrel. Iroh shuddered but took the meat from him nonetheless. 'Watch out for the bones. They're small.'

'Thank you, Longshot,' Iroh said. Longshot just nodded and began to help Smellerbee gut the ring-tailed lemur. Suki sat beside Iroh with a squirrel, happily munching on its red flesh. Iroh looked at the dead animal in his own hands and shrugged; food was food. He bit into it and humbly disregarded the urge to wretch.

After they had finished eating their raw meat, and drinking as much water as they could stomach, they were up and starting to move again. Even though Iroh wanted to get to the Western Air Temple as soon as possible, he didn't think that he could manage the rest of the day without collapsing.

'I think we should stay here for the night, make camp,' Iroh suggested. Suki, Smellerbee and Longshot all looked at him, startled.

'Iroh… I know you're tired, we all are. But it's just too dangerous to stay here overnight,' Suki interjected, she shuddered 'what if we get caught..?' Iroh considered her, they could get caught if they stayed here; but it was unlikely anyone would go looking for them in the forest. It was too big, and too dangerous for anyone to care enough. Iroh shook his head.

'We won't get caught; nobody would dare come into this forest without a good enough knowledge of the area. Due to the Forest Laws, no-one in the Fire Nation- let alone the rich Capitol- has a clue about the wood. They wouldn't know where to start, how to track. We're completely safe,' Iroh paused, 'we'd better not light any fires in the night though. It would be too obvious.'

'If you say so, Iroh,' Suki said gravely.

* * *

><p>The next morning they set out before they sun had even completely risen. It was clear that everyone was on edge in the forest, it wasn't the creatures inside it they feared- it was the Fire Nation soldiers that could appear at any moment. Iroh wanted to get to the Western Air Temple because he had a strong feeling that's where the Avatar would want to go. It's both close and completely secluded from the Fire Nation- it makes complete sense to go there. He knew roughly how to get there. This wasn't the first time he would be running around in these forests.<p>

When he was younger, he used to come to the forest to hunt and practise firebending by himself. Iroh always wanted to get away from the palace- he didn't want to be waited on by desperate servants every minute of his life. Although his father tried to deter Iroh from going into the woods, he never listened. He relied on his alone time. It was the only thing that had kept him sane. He never thought it would help him in the future. But he knew these woods. And he knew where the temple was. He had accidently found it when he was sixteen. Iroh didn't venture any farther than the edge of the cliff, he didn't want to get hurt, and he wasn't even too curious as to what was there, he knew it would be completely deserted. Anyway, even if the Avatar wasn't at the Western Air Temple, Iroh would not stop looking until he got Suki safely into their group. He had the white lotus to think about, but he wouldn't leave Suki. Not after what she had been through.

'No offence Iroh, but do you even know where we're going?' Smellerbee demanded. Iroh nodded and turned his head to look at her wilted face.

'Yes. Suki and I are going to the Western Air Temple. Whether or not you two decide to join us; is up to you,' Iroh replied. Smellerbee looked to Longshot for an answer, but he just looked back at her with the same muddled expression. They looked lost, like a part of them was missing.

'We'll stay with you, or else we'll never get away from the Fire Nation,' Smellerbee decided, breaking her gaze with Longshot. Iroh saw Longshot slip his hand into hers, and grip onto it tightly.

'We should go around this part of the forest; you can bump into some seriously dangerous animals in here…' Iroh uttered, leading the three children off toward the coastline. They walked through the wood quietly; the three kid's feet were quiet and sneaky, while Iroh's were loud and inept. He never had any reason to hide, to be sly. He never had to run from anything. Iroh saw Suki flinch at any loud noises that the forest made, but tried to ignore the urge to comfort her; she was a proud girl, she would only be humiliated. The four of them continued through the Fire Nation forest feeling much stronger than the day before, who knew how some sleep, water and a few raw ashy squirrels could do so much?

They came to the edge of the forest soon enough, and when Iroh saw the sea he felt a very unfamiliar feeling in his heart; joy. He had been so wracked with disappointment and heartache he almost forgot how it felt. Suki and Smellerbee gasped and ran ahead of him to admire the glistening ocean. After spending 3 long years on a boat searching for the Avatar, he never thought he would be so happy to smell the salty ocean breeze. Suki and Smellerbee stumbled to the ground at the edge of the cliff they were stood on, taking the scenery in. The sun echoed off the rippling water, making it shine. The cliff overlooked a stony beach, which spread along the side of the cliff for as far as they could see. It would be a perfect, safe place to continue their journey… If only he knew how to get down there. Iroh was alerted when Suki began to shake her arms and start shouting.

'HEY! OVER HERE! OVER HERE!' Suki bellowed. He lunged forward and slapped his hand over her mouth. When she shrunk away from him and he felt a sharp twinge of guilt.

'What are you doing?' Iroh barked, taking his hand from her lips. Suki just shook her head with glittering eyes and pointed to the sea, Iroh looked deeper into the horizon and much to his surprise saw a fleet of Water Tribe ships.

'Water Tribe ships! Sokk- The Avatar might be with them!' Suki cried, standing on her feet and waving her arms. 'Over here!' Suki roared, jumping up and down on the spot. Iroh considered her; it was possible they were on the Water Tribe ships, it was clear that the Avatar's two friends were Water Tribe… Iroh stuck his arm out in front of Suki. She stopped moving and backed away from him slightly. Iroh took a deep breath and steadied his stance; he shot a huge fireball in the sky. It looked more like a flare than anything else. Iroh stood back and let Suki resume jumping up and down, yelling for their attention. Iroh was astonished to see the Water Tribe fleet turning around and sailing toward them. Suki's face lit up and she began scrambling down the rocky, cliff edge. Iroh's heart lurched and he tried to grab Suki's arm, but she was already skidding down the side with true warrior style. She turned to face Iroh, happy tears in her eyes.

'Come on, it's not hard!' Suki yelled, continuing down the mountain side gleefully. Iroh looked at Smellerbee worriedly. She shrugged her shoulders and followed Suki down the cliff, with Longshot not far after. Both equally as elegant as Suki. Iroh swallowed and began to precariously pick his way down, placing his feet on sturdy looking rocks and gripping onto vines which poked out the side of the wall. The other three were down the cliff side and onto the beach before Iroh had even gotten halfway. He turned to smile at them apologetically, and the rock he was balancing his weight on crumbled underneath his weight. Iroh's stomach lurched as he soon realised he was in free fall. It didn't last long, though. Iroh heard a loud yelp leave his throat as his outstretched arm hit a rock spurting out of the cliff side and bent back the wrong way. He began tumbling down the rest of the cliff; his foot got caught on a drooping vine, pulling it out of place before breaking the vine in two. He landed on the stones with a harsh crunch, and he wondered what else he could have possibly broken.

'Ah!' Suki squealed, 'my arm…' Iroh realised that Suki had foolishly tried to break his fall, breaking something else entirely. He found his torso awkwardly lying on her thin arm, and he rolled off of her quickly, wincing at the extremity of the pain in his right ankle and left arm.

'Oh, Suki… I'm so sorry,' Iroh grunted, trying to keep his face calm despite the ache. 'I think I need some spiced cider…'

'I shouldn't have made you climb down that mountain! I'm so sorry Iroh,' Suki apologised, cradling her arm with the other and slowly sitting up. Longshot appeared at Iroh's side, whilst Smellerbee was waving at the ships.

'No no, I should have been more careful. Let's just hope these ships are friendly,' Iroh groaned. He began to sit upright, only to be pushed down by Longshot's strong hand.

'Where does it hurt?' Longshot asked quietly, ripping the sleeves off his prison clothes. Iroh pointed at the places of damage, and leant his head back against the cool stones. He felt like shutting his eyes and slipping into sleep, but he knew he couldn't. He had three kids to protect. Iroh hadn't stopped to consider the idea that the Water Tribe ships might not be so compensating to an old Fire Nation General. He comforted himself in the knowing that the others would be okay; they're just innocent freedom fighters. He bit back the scream by gritting his teeth as Longshot began wrapping a bandage of cloth around his broken arm, and around his other shoulder like a sling. 'There's not much we can do about your ankle. Stay off it,' Longshot instructed, standing up. Suki gave a small cough. Longshot looked at her and started to rip the bottoms of his trousers off when she stopped him.

'Just use this,' Suki advised, passing him a thin strip of cloth from her robes. Longshot knelt beside her and began tending to her wound. He had precise, quick fingers. Iroh pondered the idea that Longshot was probably good with a bow and arrow, hence the name. He tried sitting up once more and succeeded, Longshot had done well with the bandaging. It still throbbed with pain but his arm felt secured. Iroh gulped as he saw the Water Tribe ships within only spitting distance from the shore. He saw blue robed men jumping out of the boats and wading to the beach, armed with bizarre machete-like weapons. There was no sign of the Avatar, or any of his young friends. One man wearing a fearsome expression was the first to approach Iroh. He was truly taken aback when the man offered a hand. Iroh took it with a grin, and was pulled to his feet.

'I am Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe,' the man said in an cool voice, 'and this is my fleet. We were heading toward Whaletail Island when we saw your flare… Are you all alright?' Iroh looked as his arm, and then back toward Suki, she looked desperate to speak. She ran forward next to Iroh and stared Hakoda in the eyes.

'You're from the Southern Water Tribe? Do you- do you know Sokka?' Suki exclaimed, her appearance brightening with hope.

'Sokka's my son!' Hakoda replied excitedly, his eyes widening, 'where is he?' Suki paused, her face falling. As she looked away she didn't need to answer his question. The excitement left Hakoda's face and he looked at Suki remorsefully. 'Oh.'

'Yeah. I was hoping you knew…' Suki muttered sadly. Iroh put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

'Don't lose hope yet, Suki. I think I know where they might be.'

* * *

><p><em><strong>Iroh's so badass.<br>**__**I just think I should explain the reason for Iroh's memories of his son in the first part of the chapter. In Season One of the show, Zhao says how Iroh had spent time in the spirit world, but we never find out why... Which is why he is encountering the spirits in this chapter, I'm not just being pedantic ;)  
><strong>__**The next chapter's called 'Zuko's Cool'. Cause, he is cool. I'm excited about the next chapter- Zuko finally joins the group!  
><strong>__**I wasn't actually going to include this chapter in the story, but the Invasion never actually happened in this AU- and I needed a way to find Suki and Hakoda! I wanted Smellerbee and Longshot to have a happy ending, too. So I thought… What better than to write about Iroh escaping?  
><strong>__**I wanted some good ol' one on one time with Suki and Iroh, they're not the MAIN characters, but I love them all the same.**_


	7. Zuko's Cool

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.  
>Big thank you to seraglio for editing, and just being awesome.<strong>_

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><p>Chapter 7: Zuko's Cool<p>

When Zuko had first arrived at the Western Air Temple, he didn't appreciate the beauty of it. He was so obsessed with catching the Avatar, he didn't appreciate _anything_. Of course, at that point all the wounds from his banishment were still fresh. Literally.

He had never seen anything so bizarre; the temples were upside-down. It was a temple under the surface of the earth. He wondered how people lived in this place. It was strange, thinking that once this place must have thrived with life… seeing as now it was so old, so derelict. Zuko couldn't help but feel a little sad at the emptiness at it... An entire civilisation wiped out, and with it all of their traditions and virtues. He couldn't imagine the pain that Aang had to live with every day.

Zuko walked deeper into the air temple with small expectations. He thought that if he lowered his expectations, he couldn't possibly be disappointed by anyone again. He wasn't really expecting to turn up at the temple with Aang and his friends actually there. After all, he had chased them from one pole to the next, threatened their lives at every turn, and worst of all, he had betrayed them in Ba Sing Se. They trusted his uncle, so they stupidly assumed they could trust Zuko. He hadn't humbled the opportunity that they gave him then, and he regretted it with almost every inch of his being now. His worst fears used to be never regaining his honour, now they were something totally different. He feared turning up at the temple and no-one being there. His fears were expunged when he heard a girl's voice.

'Hey, guys, I think we've got company.'

Zuko froze in his tracks. Was he nervous? They had already accepted him, but for some reason decided that the tight black clothing would be… unnecessary. He saw a slim figure in blue robes whip round the corner with a ribbon of water in her grasp and Zuko's heartbeat accelerated. Great. Why did it always have to be Katara who was the first to find him? He watched as Katara's eyes widened and her arms put the liquid back into her water skins reluctantly. Zuko felt sweat bead on his hairline. Since their battle at the Spirit Oasis, she always made him edgy. Katara put her hands on her hips and Aang, Toph and Sokka appeared behind her. Zuko swallowed.

'Hey. Zuko here,' he paused, wanting to slap his forehead- smooth, Zuko. 'Well, I guess you already know me…' he cleared his throat uncomfortably, waiting for them to respond.

'Did… did you get it? The Book of Tian Yao?' Sokka asked shiftily, putting one hand on his sword handle.

Zuko swung his bag round to his front and with two hands pulled out the book. He walked over to them gingerly and gave it to Aang. Aang studied his face for a moment before taking it from Zuko's grasp.

'Welcome to the group!' Aang exclaimed with a toothy smile and doing the traditional Fire Nation bow.

Zuko nearly fell over. For some reason he was expecting to give the book over, and then be dismissed. Happiness swelled inside his stomach and reached into his heart.

'I'm honoured,' Zuko replied, smiling and bowing back. He looked at all their faces and all but one were smiling at him. Katara still didn't trust him, after he went through all of that for them. Toph sauntered up to Zuko with a smug face.

'Yeah, welcome Sparky,' she snickered, giving him a sharp punch in the arm.

'Ow! What was that for?' Zuko protested, rubbing his bicep, 'and what's _Sparky?_' Zuko sputtered, horrified by the nickname. Toph shrugged and closed her eyes.

'It's how I show affection,' Toph chirped, 'and you're a firebender… as well as a new member of our group. A nickname is _crucial,_' she finished, folding her arms. Zuko couldn't help but grin at her.

'Come on, Zuko, I'll show you to your room,' Sokka said. Zuko followed Sokka into one of the many upside-down buildings with the rest at their heels. The temple was truly amazing, delicate drawings of sky bison lined the sides of the corridors, giant statues of the Yangchen were cracked and crumbling, but still retained its beauty.

'How long have you been here?' Zuko asked tentatively.

'We got here on the day of the black sun, and we've just been waiting since then,' Sokka answered.

'We didn't think you were going to actually show,' Katara muttered sourly. Zuko frowned, people didn't trust him much. But then again, they had little reason to.

'But you're here now and that's all that matters,' Sokka said to ease the tension. Zuko nodded at him, and ruffled his own hair with his hand. He heard Katara behind him.

'I'm gonna start making dinner. It'll be ready in half an hour,' she said curtly.

'I'll come with you sweetness,' Toph replied, sounding bored. Zuko looked behind them and saw them skirt off into an open part of the temple, a chamber with concrete shutters connected from the ceiling to the floor. There was what looked like a campfire and a green, obviously Earth Kingdom pot. Beyond the room there was a room with cracked floors and a large fountain that dropped off the side of the temple, and Zuko saw their huge sky bison munching on hay.

'So, Sifu Hotman. When do we start training?' Aang asked, sounding hopeful.

'We can start this evening, before the sun sets, if you want,' Zuko offered, again ignoring the nickname. Aang nodded eagerly.

'Yeah!'

'Here we are,' Sokka pronounced, opening his arm to an empty room with only one bed and a side table, 'so um, make yourself at home. Relax, unpack, dinner later, I guess,' Sokka sighed awkwardly. Zuko walked in the room and gave him a small smile. 'Okay,' Sokka left the doorway and shut the panel.

Zuko sat on the bed and began to take out his things; he put the photo of his uncle on the bedside table and his broadswords under the thin mattress, safely tucked away in its scabbard. He didn't know where to put The Blue Spirit mask, it would be weird to find it in his possession, but it wasn't incriminating. Among finding his mask, he saw a small circular tile kicking around at the bottom of his bag. Slowly, Zuko reached in to inspect the tile and saw that it was his uncle's favourite Pai Sho tile; the White Lotus. Gripping it tightly in his hand, he slipped it too, under the mattress. Zuko decided to leave the mask of The Blue Spirit in his bag at the end of his bed.

Zuko flopped down on the mattress and ran his hands through his shaggy hair. He was here. He was in their group, they accepted him. He thought back a year ago, when his soul purpose in life was only to capture the Avatar. And now he was here with them, he was helping them take down his father. He blinked as memories of the confrontation with his father came spiralling back to him.

'_All I ever wanted was for you to love me. My father. Who banished me for speaking out of turn. My father, who challenged his own son, a thirteen year old boy, to an Agni Kai.' _

'_It was to teach you respect,' Ozai snarled at him. _

'_It was cruel! How could you possibly justify a duel with a child?' _

Zuko was so lost in his thoughts he didn't hear the door of his room open. He was startled to feel blankets thrown at his chest.

'There. Dinner's ready,' Katara's voice spat. He sat up to look at her, but only caught the end of her robe as she left his room. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, and stood to follow her. Zuko followed Katara through the giant Air Temple corridors. He had to stop himself when he realised that he had just been staring at the back of her head the whole way through the temple, instead of admiring the beautiful paintings and carvings on the walls.

Katara sat down by the pot and began bending soup into five bowls. Sokka, Toph and Aang were all sat around the campfire licking their lips and joking about 'that time the cabbage merchant…', but he wasn't listening. He was trying to understand why every time he saw Katara; she looked at him with a scowl not even Azula could conjure up. She handed three bowls to Sokka, Aang and Toph. Zuko walked hesitantly up to her, and she thrust a bowl into his hands so viciously some of its contents spilled out over the edges and splashed onto the floor.

'Thanks…' Zuko frowned, dabbing his damp arm with his shirt.

'You're welcome,' Katara replied coldly, not meeting his gaze.

Zuko sat opposite Toph; he didn't want another 'affectionate' punch to the arm. He drank some of his soup, and was taken aback by how good it was. For very little provisions, Katara did a great job with the food. Obviously, he would miss the delicacies in the Fire Nation. The brilliantly spicy food… Zuko's stomach rumbled and he sighed. If he could manage without food in the Earth Kingdom, he could manage with it now.

'And then...' Sokka gasped, wiping a small tear from his eye with one finger, 'he yelled...'

'MY CABBAGES!' Zuko flinched as the three of them shouted in unison. They were beside themselves with laughter. Aang was rolling on the floor, Sokka was clutching his stomach and Toph's tiny body was shaking with giggles. It was contagious, even Zuko who had no idea what they were talking about couldn't help but grin. He looked at Katara who was biting a smiling lip. When she saw Zuko, her face resumed its neutral expression. Sokka sighed happily and pointed at Zuko.

'Hey, jerkbender. You got any stories for us?' Sokka joked. This group sure liked giving him nicknames. Zuko frowned and thought about any stories that were funny in the slightest.

_'How about that one time, I tried to capture Aang with the pirates? And I tied Katara to a tree! Or that time, I tried to capture Aang and ran into a snowstorm in the middle of the North Pole? OR, how about the time I let Azula shoot Aang down in Ba Sing Se?'_ he winced.

'Uh, I can tell you one of my uncle's favourite jokes, if you want?' Zuko said, trying to remember fully remember it. All he could remember from the memory was the sense of embarrassment and dread Zuko felt when Iroh was trying to be funny.

'Hit us, Sparky,' Toph commanded, picking her toes.

'I can't really remember the punch line, but the end is "leaf me alone, I'm bushed!"' Zuko replied in what he thought was Iroh's accent. Silence filled the chamber. Zuko sifted his weight around and was jabbed in the ribs by the scroll that the sage had given to him. He felt his face light up. 'Or, I have a Fire Nation folklore, if you want to hear it,' Zuko chirped up, pulling the scroll from his robes.

'Not really,' Katara uttered. Aang gave her a disapproving look.

'No, go ahead Zuko. Some of my favourite folklores are from the Fire Nation,' Aang pressed gently. Katara snorted.

'Do we really want to hear some old folklore about angry firebenders, spreading their evil firebending ways?' When nobody said anything, Katara looked away heatedly.

'This one is about love,' Zuko replied calmly. Katara rolled her eyes at him. The others around the campfire said nothing and simply waited for Zuko to speak. 'It's called The Shattered Heart,' Zuko unfurled the paper, cleared his throat and began to read the scroll.

'In the earliest years of the earth, whence not even the Avatar was around to keep balance and be the bridge between worlds, the mortal and spirit world precariously intertwined. There was once a beautiful Princess called Princess Wudao, who was in love with a courageous spirit.

'Her father was not only a selfish King, but a hideous trickster called Piánzi who needed the Princess to do his bidding- and she would do so as long as she was loved by no-one. Piánzi usually called upon the Princess Wudao to do terrible things, like murder men for petty crimes against the trickster; usually acts of power hungry mortals trying to steal the Piánzi's spirit powers for their own. Princess Wudao prayed every night she would find a brave man, or spirit, to save her morality. And one day, that wish came true.

'The Princess saw a beautiful spirit man, who was hired by Piánzi to deceive Princess Wudao, so she would lose hope in ever finding a saviour and stop trying. However, love is uncontrollable, and the lowly spirit found himself falling in love with her. But, Piánzi's power was just too powerful to allow a flame of love ignite... So the unnamed spirit fell in love with the wrong girl.

'A weak, dying, but beautiful girl. This girl was a spirit; she went by the name of The Painted Lady. The Painted Lady had devoted her life to others, healing them, feeding them, watching over them, giving every ounce of life she had for their wellbeing- and thus she began to die. Not knowing what her father had done, in fiery vengeance, Princess Wudao split the unnamed spirit's heart into a hundred pieces, his heart broke like glass, the shards split off into different ends of the earth.

'The spirit, could no longer feel any love, happiness, hate, anger, forgiveness. He felt nothing; he resembled an empty nutshell, desperately trying to understand its purpose. His everlasting mundane emotions gave him the title of The Blue Spirit. His original handsome face was soon erased and replaced with a frightening blue mask.

'The Painted Lady tried her hardest to collect the pieces of her Blue Spirit's heart, but it was futile. She soon realised Princess Wudao had maliciously placed a piece of The Blue Spirit's heart into her own; it was this, that was allowing The Painted Lady to breathe. Crying and begging at the Princesses feet, she asked for forgiveness, for mercy. But the Princess had gone mad. The Painted Lady, reversing back to her natural instinct to salvage, collected all of the pieces of The Blue Spirit's heart. She soon realised the shard keeping her alive, was love.

'Weeping, The Painted Lady took the shard out her own heart, and gave it to the confused Blue Spirit. The shard connected with all the other pieces, and The Blue Spirit was finally whole again. It wasn't until that moment, when The Blue Spirit began to sob. Holding The Painted Lady's limp body to his, he cried, and cried, and cried. The only girl that had ever truly loved him had killed herself, to save him.

'The evil princess had seen what she had done and was ridden with guilt. She saw herself turning into her father and could not bear it, so she hung herself. The Blue Spirit left the kingdom, and vowed never to love anyone ever again, because the shard that contained his feeling of love should have remained with The Painted Lady for the rest of both of their lives. He spent the remainder of his live stealing from others, conniving and swindling so he could forget for at least a moment his lovers demise. His love, much to The Painted Lady's dismay, remained unused, and untouched. It only shook with despair, when he thought of the only girl he would ever love.'

Silence filled the space were Zuko had been speaking. Even Katara has been paying close attention. Sokka was the first to speak.

'Whoa. Damn, Sparky. Fire Nation folk law is DEPRESSING,' He reached his arms up over his head as he stretched.

'Didn't The Blue Spirit make it to the spirit world when he died?' Toph asked with a hopeful voice. Red flooded her cheeks, 'so they could live happily ever after, and all that shebang,' she added carelessly, looking away with apparent distaste.

'No,' Aang chipped in before Zuko could. 'Only the truest of spirits can live in the spirit world. And anyway, when this story was happening, there was no 'spirit world' or 'mortal world'. It was all one. The Avatar was found soon after The Painted Lady had died, and she was invited back into the spirit world with the highest of honours. The Blue Spirit had never done anything to deserve it, in fact, The Blue Spirit was deemed selfish for what The Painted Lady gave up for him. He was banished to live in the mortal world with his spirit face- an outcast,' Zuko looked over to him and saw Aang's knees tucked under his chin, his grey eyes holding the dimming light of the campfire. He heard Sokka's sceptic voice.

'Well, then why was The Painted Lady allowed in the spirit world?' he had a mocking tone, as if challenging Zuko's story. Katara spoke before Aang had a chance to.

'Isn't it obvious? The Painted Lady had proved her worth to live in the spirit world by devoting her mortal life to others,' she spoke defensively, as if Sokka had insulted her personally.

'That's right Katara,' Aang said with a sickly sweet smile. Aang looked toward Zuko and his face changed, his eyebrows furrowed. 'It's strange...' Aang quietly mused.

'What's strange, Aang?' Katara asked. Zuko looked in her direction. A sliver of her skin shone in the fire light. He wondered if she had been crying. It looked as if one stray tear had slipped down her cheek, leaving a thin, glittering pathway.

'Well,' Aang looked to Zuko. Alarm bells resounded throughout his head. Zuko widened his eyes to Aang's gaze as if to discourage him from telling everyone about his 'Blue Spirit escapades'. Aang looked down as if he understood; Zuko sighed in relief. 'You know, Zuko, Katara posed as The Painted Lady once for a little Fire Nation fishing village; she was incredible,' Aang said tepidly, like he was watching his words. Zuko looked up at Katara; pink had tainted her cheeks faintly.

'That's a coincidence,' the words came from his lips before he could stop them. He didn't meet any of the confused, pressing looks from Sokka, Katara and Toph. He merely stood up, brushed his robes off, and changed the conversation. 'Aang, how about that firebending?'

'Flamio!' Aang replied. Zuko made a face; nobody had said 'flamio' in a hundred years. He had to remind himself that Aang was a hundred years older him, and had probably spent time in the Fire Nation when they said ridiculous things like 'flamio' and 'hotman'.

'Hurry then, the sun will go down any minute now,' Zuko said, standing up and walking to the chamber toward the huge fountain with Aang at his side. 'Come +

on; show me what you can do. Any amount of fire you can make,' Zuko said, sitting on the edge of the fountain. Aang looked at him worriedly and took a meek firebending stance. He grunted as he shot a pathetic punch of fire from his fists. Zuko tried not to groan; they had a long way to go...

'Maybe a demonstration would be helpful?' Aang suggested. Zuko nodded and stood up.

'Good idea, you might want to take a few steps back,' he advised, cracking his knuckles and steadying his feet. Zuko growled and copied Aang's punch expecting ten times the fire of his to explode from his fist, but it was actually ten times less. There was silence, and then irritating clapping from a polite airbender.

'What was that? It was the worst bending I've ever seen!' He complained, staring at his hands as if the answer would be there. He heard Aang say something, but he wasn't listening. Zuko's eyes caught sight of an ominous shape directly ahead of him on the other side of the temple. He narrowed his eyes and felt fear rise up inside of him as he saw the assassin that he had completely forgotten about stood before him.

Air left his mouth, and Zuko heard a tremendous blast and felt his body soar ten metres upwards. Zuko's stomach twisted and his body flailed wildly in the air, he felt a steel clasp on his lower arm and was abruptly lifted further into the sky. Zuko had to admit, if it weren't for Aang's quick reactions, he probably would have died. Aang jumped into the chamber and grabbed his staff. He used it to send a powerful slice of wind that caused all of the concrete shutters to slam shut, leaving them in complete darkness. Zuko lit a fire in his palm and saw everyone ready for a fight.

'It's combustion man!' Toph shouted. There was another crash, and moonlight flooded the chamber.

It didn't register with Zuko that the assassin had burst a hole through the wall of the temple until he saw the ceiling crack. He watched in dismay as concrete loosened from the roof and began to tumble with Katara directly below it. All he knew was that his legs were moving, and his arms were stretching, and he was leaping-

-it all became solidly real when he had an arm full of angry waterbender, and they were rolling away from the tumbling rocks.

'What are you doing?' She demanded, when they finally stopped rolling.

'Trying to keep rocks from crushing you-' Zuko tried, leaning off of her with one arm.

'Okay, I'm not crushed- you can get off me now.'

Katara sprinted toward the assassin, summoning water from her pouch and shooting deadly icicles at him. Zuko jumped from the ground and followed her lead, again going to firebend. Nothing. He couldn't produce more than a tiny pop of smoke. Zuko growled, he wouldn't just stand by and do nothing. Maybe he was thinking irrationally, but he started careening through the temple corridors, up the stairs, down the hall, to his room. He grabbed his broad swords and sprinted back.

He was stunned to hear silence. No fighting, no hasty strategic plans, no heavy breaths. Had they left him because they thought he bailed? He thought, panicking. Zuko darted behind a crumbling wall when he saw the assassin slowly stalking the broken area. He was surprised to see the fountain remained relatively unscathed. He sucked in a deep breath; he needed to strike- and quickly. If he wanted to be lucky like the fountain and get away unscathed, he needed to kill the assassin before he was spotted. Zuko was good at making little noise, so he felt safe to creep around the wall and sprint on his toes toward the assassin.

The man turned around and sent a blast from his third eye in Zuko's direction, but he was too late. Zuko ducked under the red line that the assassin's eye produced and they were both knocked away from the blast. Zuko landed on his feet as opposed the assassin who just became a heap on the floor. Before the man could even take another breath Zuko sliced his blade across the assassin's forehead, disabling his firebending. The assassin threw a hearty punch in Zuko's direction, but he dodged it by ducking away. He never wanted to kill, and he never had killed in his life. But in this adrenaline fuelled moment, Zuko dove forward with his sword and was ready to plunge it into his flesh when the assassin folded over into a crumpled heap.

Zuko felt power leave his arms; he involuntarily dropped his swords, slicing his calf in the process. Zuko hissed with the pain and looked down at his trembling arms in alarm. Zuko was being yanked back from the man, his hands behind his heads and his swords next to the assassin. It looked like the assassin was being taken over too, but it was in his entire body. Zuko felt his arm drop by his sides and the blood started flowing freely again. He clutched his leg with both hands and examined the damage, it was a deep cut. The assassin however, was being taken over by this power.

When Zuko looked at him, he was writhing on the ground, it looked quite peculiar. He looked around to try and see what was causing this and saw Katara step from the other side of the temple corridors. She was in a bending stance and had a remorseful look on her face. Zuko couldn't help but gasp. She was somehow controlling him with bending.

'Leave us alone, and _never_return,' she warned, 'next time you won't get so lucky,' she let him go, and after taking a few seconds to shudder and breathe, he was on his feet, and scrambling away from her. As he was running a huge jab of rock came from the earth and sent him flying to the other side of the temple. Toph dusted her hands off with a smirk at her lips. Zuko stood on swaying feet.

'...What- what did you do?' He asked truly curious. Katara looked at him sadly, and then away. Sokka, Aang and Toph were all stood behind her with anxious faces.

'It's called bloodbending,' she replied, hugging her arms and closing her eyes. 'I said that I would never use it. It's wrong to have that much power over someone,' Katara's voice sounded foreign to Zuko, it was melancholy and soft, like it was in Ba Sing Se. Zuko took a step forward.

'It was amazing, Katara. You saved our lives. Even his,' Zuko said, pointing toward the man who was still running from them. Katara looked up at him with a strange expression.

'It's not amazing, it's wrong and-' her eyes caught site of the blood on his trousers. She gasped. 'Your leg! What happened?' She began walking toward him and knelt by his leg. 'Sit down,' she demanded. Zuko did as she asked, and winced as she pulled the cut cloth from his leg. Her eyes widened. 'Did I do this when I took over your arms?' she asked, summoning water from the fountain. It began glowing in her palms and she pressed it against his leg.

'It doesn't matter…' Zuko said, clenching his jaw in discomfort. Katara furrowed her brows.

'It's too deep to heal…Oh,' Katara's eyes widened, and a look of pure astonishment took over her features. 'I wonder if…' Zuko just stared at her with an eyebrow raised, she sounded crazy. She flicked the water away and again furrowed her brows and pouted her lips. Zuko saw Katara move her hands in a bending motion around his wound, and he felt the blood flow stopping. He leant his head back and hissed in agony. When he looked back to Katara, Sokka was there with a hand on his chin, watching Katara bloodbend Zuko's leg.

'Wow,' Sokka said, his eyes suddenly huge. Katara gasped and leant back in anguish, putting a hand on her forehead. Zuko looked at his leg and saw that there was nothing there now but a pink scratch.

'Wow,' Zuko mimicked, touching his leg. He looked to Katara who was clenching her hair with a hand and breathing through her teeth. 'Thank you, Katara,' he said earnestly. Katara opened one eye and looked at him, as if accepting the appreciation. Aang and Toph appeared next to Katara and Sokka, Aang peering at his leg.

'Zuko, why couldn't you bend?' Aang asked, mystified. Katara laughed wickedly.

'I'm sorry, I'm just laughing at the irony. You know how it would have been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago,' she mocked. Zuko frowned at her. He was tempted to ask why she was constantly having mood swings, but refrained.

'It's not lost… It's just weaker for some reason,' Zuko told Aang.

'Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are,' Katara spat, putting a hand on her hip. Zuko scowled.

'Ouch,' Toph said, elevating the tension.

'I think I've been deriving all my power from hate for so long, I don't know how to firebend without it,' Zuko argued, trying to stand up.

'You should go back to the original source of firebending. I learnt earthbending from badger moles,' Toph said, smiling. 'They were blind too, so we understood each other. I didn't just learn earthbending as a martial art; I learnt it as an extension of my senses.'

'Yeah, the original airbenders were the sky bison,' Aang pointed out.

'Well that doesn't help me, the original firebenders were dragons and they were wiped out a long time ago,' Zuko said spitefully, looking at the broken air temple.

'What? Roku had a pet dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was around,' Aang objected, Zuko felt irritated by everything Aang was doing; his optimism was driving him insane.

'Well they aren't around anymore okay?' Zuko yelled. He instantly regretted it as he saw Katara's warning glare.

'Okay, okay. I was just saying,' Aang put his hands up, trying to calm Zuko down. He gritted his teeth.

'The Sun Warrior's temples aren't far from here. We could go poking around to see if we can find anything,' Zuko recommended, more gently.

'So what, you're hoping to go to their temples and get power from "standing where they stood" a thousand years ago?' Sokka said sceptically. Zuko turned away from them all and faced the open gape in the temple.

'More or less. Either I find a new way to firebend, or Aang finds a new teacher.'

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><p><em><strong>That was some intense folklore, eh? I actually dreamt up the folklore of the blue spirit and painted lady after my sister told me 'Zuko was supposed to be Katara's first love interest'. I wish they kept it like that.<strong>_

_**I think a lot happened in this chapter, so I left it at that.  
>The end is very similar to the start of 'Firebending Masters' because the next chapter is from Katara's POV while Aang and Zuko have their adventure. Woo bromance.<br>Feedback is always appreciated. I'm looking for ways to improve, and I'd love your comments! Please review:) **_


	8. Always Attract

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.  
>Big thank you to seraglio for editing, and just being awesome.<strong>_

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><p><em><strong>If it hurts this much, then it must be love. We're like noughts and crosses in that, opposites always attract.<strong>_

Chapter Eight: Always Attract

Katara opened fuzzy eyes to a sinister shadow leaning over her. Too tired to express her alarm, she tried to focus her eyes on the shapes face. She saw the familiar mark of redness on pale skin and furrowed her brows. Her throat felt raw with the early morning, and her words came in a weak rasp.

'W-what's wrong? What are you doing…' she tried to keep her eyes opened but fatigue swooned over her body like a tidal wave. She wasn't sure if this was some bizarre dream- she'd wake up soon, she always did.

'When Zhao captured Aang, I dressed myself as The Blue Spirit and helped him escape without using bending. Then, in Ba Sing Se, I dressed as The Blue Spirit again and released Appa from Lake Laogi. And finally, when I got The Book of Tian Yao. I said it was a coincidence because it was strange that our secret identities mixed like that. I guess it still doesn't change your opinion of me, does it?'

Zuko shifted his weight around on the bed. He spoke in a soft, menacing whisper. Katara heard everything he said, and chose not to react. She was too tired from fighting and using bloodbending earlier to express any emotion at all. Her eyes simply remained shut and she steadied her breathing.

She felt the back of two warm fingers brush her cheekbone, heard a sigh, and then the dip in the bed had gone- she was alone. She couldn't help her eyes fluttering open as he left, did he think she was sleeping? Why did he touch her like that? Why did he tell her that? It was all too much for her aching body and she succumbed to sleep.

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><p>When Katara woke she felt sleepy sunrise through the windows of the temple. It comforted her to feel the sun on her back, to know she was still breathing, still alive, still here to save the world.<p>

She rolled over and faced the sun with squinting eyes. The occurrences of last night came back to her all at once. Zuko's voice as he whispered, his confession, the feel of his warmth on her cheek…

She threw the blankets off of her and stood to get her robes from the floor only in her wrappings. She wondered why Zuko felt the need to tell her all of that, and why he touched her. It was completely unusual. It can't have been reality. She was just having weird dreams because things had been rather weird lately.

Trying to forget, Katara walked to the chamber where they all ate and relaxed, she was greeted with only Toph and Sokka. Katara looked around the very empty looking chamber.

Pieces of cracked temple appeared to have been cleared away and somewhat rebuilt into plain walls. The floor was left with no more than a few cracks that had been there before and a thick layer of dust that Toph obviously couldn't be bothered to shift. Katara would have to do it later.

'Do you like what I've done with the place?' Toph asked, 'it was getting a bit breezy.'

'Excuse the pun!' Sokka said humorously. Katara and Toph squinted at him. 'Western Air Temple, airbenders, breezy?' He pressed. Toph snorted at him.

Katara saw Aang's new staff perched against one of the walls, ownerless. He was ecstatic when he found it in the temple. Katara thought at one point that when he caught sight of it, he was going to burst into tears of joy. He hadn't been quite the same without a staff, not quite Aang.

'Where's Aang?' Katara asked, ignoring both Sokka's lame joke and Zuko's existence. She hated that everyone had just accepted him with open arms because he did one good thing. In Katara's mind, one good deed didn't exclude a lifetime of ill will.

She didn't even like the idea of The Book of Tian Yao. Although she would never tell him, she didn't believe that Aang had a pure heart. As a matter of fact, Katara didn't even know what having a 'pure heart' entitled.

'Him and Sparky went to the Sun Warrior place,' Toph said lazily, bouncing a ball against one of the walls that hadn't shattered. Katara gasped.

'You let Aang and Zuko go alone?' She yelled, throwing her hands out at her sides. 'What were you thinking?' Katara felt anger rise inside her as both Sokka and Toph gave her a cold, indifferent look. 'What if he gets attacke-'

'Nobody's getting attacked, Katara!' Toph snapped, 'just let go, okay?'

Katara didn't want to let go. She wanted to be angry because she never wanted to show weakness again. Things were serious now, there were no silly time-wasting adventures, no little kisses or half-hearted water whips. There were painstaking journeys, heated arguments and full blown battles. She walked away from them both with folded arms, if they thought she was going to make them breakfast now, they were sorely mistaken.

She didn't want to face anyone, so she didn't go to her room. Katara wasn't one to shirk her responsibilities, but she felt like she deserved at least one day off from cleaning everyone's clothes and making everyone's food. Katara paced the temples and decided to go poking around. It was something to get her mind off all of the previous events of the day- and night for that matter.

Katara did, however, think of how she healed Zuko the previous day. If he had hurt himself, then she wouldn't have even bothered. But she had hurt him, and even worse, with bloodbending. She allowed herself to feel guilty about that. When she tried to heal him with water, the cut was too deep, but she somehow managed to bend his blood to clot, and his skin miraculously melded back together. Katara was hugely proud of herself that she managed to do it- she never thought bloodbending could be used for healing. She always saw it as a murderous weapon that was just plain wrong to use.

She wondered through one of the temples that she had never been through before, and was intrigued when what looked like a library caught her eye. Katara stood in the doorway and eyed the hundreds of scrolls.

Sun shone in through not only the windows, but a giant break in the ceiling. Debris from the roof had fallen in on the scrolls and left the room looking dilapidated and rather ominous. The sun that broke through the windows and the ceiling intensified how much dust was in the room. It looked like a thick shield of smoke. Some of the cases had collapsed into each other, leaving scrolls scattered all over the floor. She covered her nose and mouth with some loose cloth from her robes and carefully trudged into the ruined room.

She pondered around in the room for a while, browsing through scrolls written in an ancient nomadic language she couldn't read. After five minutes of staring at the different shapes that were supposed to be words she closed her eyes and picked out a scroll at random. Katara's heart leaped when she saw it was scripture that she could understand, but annoyed when she read the title 'Spirit Knowledge Part II'. Nonetheless, she opened the scroll gently, not wanting to rip anything. Her eyes slid down the paper and found the Yin and Yang symbol. Katara put her weight on one leg.

'The Yin and Yang symbol, the idea of opposing, and yet, complementary forces. Yang representing masculinity, the sun, the sky and daytime. Yin, femininity, the moon, the earth and night time,' She read aloud. There was air and earth, moon for water and sun for fire. All the elements.

She scoffed at the irony of how the scroll was implying opposites attract, yet she couldn't stand Zuko. Although… Toph and Aang were certainly different, but they got along. And quite well at that- Aang had certainly grown fonder of Toph these past few days. But Katara thought that was because she was shutting him out a little after what he had said to her on Ember Island. She frowned. Aang had apologised after what he had said, but sometimes sorry isn't good enough. Suddenly annoyed, she rolled the scroll up and threw it out the window.

'OW!' Toph's voice complained. 'What the..?' Katara put her hand over her mouth and gasped.

'Sorry Toph!' Katara yelled, safely from her earthbending wrath inside the room of the temple.

'Watch yourself, Sweetness. You will be sorry,' Toph threatened. Katara's smirk was wiped off her face as a jab of rock hit her squarely in the behind. She howled and heard Toph's loud laughter. Even though she couldn't see, Katara stuck her tongue out in Toph's general direction and rubbed her throbbing tailbone. That will leave a bruise, Katara mused sourly.

Katara flitted through more scrolls as she had nothing better to do in the boring place. She was worried sick about Aang, but she had no idea where they were. She despised the thought of Aang being alone with Zuko. It's not that she thought Aang couldn't handle himself, it's just that if Aang were jumped by hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers, he wouldn't stand much of a chance.  
>Katara's mind was side tracked as her wondering eyes caught a pretty looking scroll, with a firebending insignia on the side of it. She picked it out carefully and began to unravel it. She noticed the thickness of it and moved to sit on some of the ceiling's debris. Once Katara was settled, she unrolled the scroll again and saw the title 'The Four Puppets' at the top in neat scripture. Katara's eyes glazed down the page and she began to read.<p>

_~~~ The Four Puppets ~~~_  
><em>'Once there was a puppet maker who had a son named Quin-Jin. The father always hoped his son would grow up to be a puppet maker like himself. But to Quin-Jin, such a life was far from exciting.<em>

_'Father,' said Quin-Jin one day, 'I've decided to leave home and seek my fortune.'_

_The puppet maker looked up sadly from his work. 'I wish you would stay, my son. The life of a puppet maker is an honourable one. But if you must go, let me give you companions for your journey.'_

_He showed his son four wooden puppets he had carved, painted, and costumed. 'Each puppet,' he said, 'has its own virtue and value.'_

_The first puppet was the moon spirit. The puppet maker said, 'The moon spirit's virtue is wisdom.'_

_The second puppet was a badger-mole. 'The badger-mole's virtue is strength.'_

_The third was a great owl. 'The owl's virtue is knowledge.'_

_The fourth was a red dragon. 'The red dragon's virtue is goodness.'_

_He told his son, 'Each of these virtues can help you on your way. But remember, strength and knowledge must always serve wisdom and goodness.'_

_Quin-Jin started off the next day. On his shoulder he carried a bamboo pole, with food and clothing tied at one end, and the puppets hanging by their strings from the other._

_When night came, Quin-Jin found himself deep in the jungle. He stopped beneath an ash banana tree._

_'This looks like a good place to sleep,' he said to himself. 'But I wonder if it's safe.'_

_Then Quin-Jin had a funny idea. 'I think I'll ask one of the puppets!' He turned with a smile to the moon spirit. 'Tell me, is it safe here?'_

_To his amazement, the puppet came alive. It got down from the pole and grew to life size._

_'Quin-Jin,' said the moon spirit, 'open your eyes and look around you. That is the first step to wisdom. If you fail to see what is right before you, how easy it will be for others to misguide you!'_

_And the next moment, the puppet was hanging again from the pole._

_When Quin-Jin had gotten over his shock, he looked carefully all around the tree. There in the soft earth were the tracks of a tigerlope. That night he slept not on the ground but in the branches above. And he was glad he did, for in the middle of the night, he saw a tigerlope come prowling below him._

_The next day took Quin-Jin into the mountains, and at sunset he left the road and camped a little way up the mountainside. When he awoke the next morning, he saw a large cart with two ostrich horses coming along the road below. The cart was piled high with costly goods._

_'That cart must belong to some rich merchant,' Quin-Jin told himself. 'I wish I had wealth like that.'_

_Then he had a thought. He turned to the badger-mole. "Tell me, how can I gain such riches?'_

_Quin-Jin watched in wonder as the puppet left the pole and grew to life size. 'If you have strength,' boomed the badger-mole, "you can take whatever you like. Watch this!" He stamped his foot and the earth shook._

_'Wait!' said Quin-Jin. But it was too late. Just below them, dirt and rocks broke loose in a landslide. It rushed down the mountain and blocked the road. The terrified drivers jumped from their carts and ran off._

_'You see?' said the badger-mole._

_'Is it really that easy?' said Quin-Jin, in a daze._

_He hurried down to the carts and rushed from one to another, gaping at the heaps of rich fabrics and piles of precious metals. 'And all of its mine!' he cried._

_Just then, Quin-Jin heard a sob. Lying huddled in one of the carts was a lovely young woman his own age. She cried and shivered in fear._

_'I won't hurt you,' said Quin-Jin gently. 'Who are you?'_

_'My name is Mala,' she said in a small voice. 'My father is the owner of this cart. We were on our way to meet him.'_

_All at once, Quin-Jin knew he was in love. He wanted to keep Mala with him forever. 'Don't worry,' he said. 'I'll take you with me and care for you.'_

_Mala sat up angrily. 'Go ahead! Take me, like you're taking everything else! But you're just an avaricious thief, and I'll never, ever speak to you!'_

_Quin-Jin was shocked. Was he really just an avaricious thief? He didn't know what to say._

_The badger-mole came up beside him then. 'Don't listen to her. She'll change her mind—and anyway, the important thing is you got what you wanted. Now, let's go.'_

_The badger-mole cleared the road, then helped Quin-Jin lead the caravan. That afternoon, they came out of the mountains, not far from the Fire Nation Capitol._

_Quin-Jin asked the badger-mole, 'What should I do, now that I have all these riches?'_

_'Don't ask me!' said the badger-mole. 'Ask the owl!'_

_Quin-Jin turned to the great owl. 'Can you tell me?'_

_The puppet came to life and floated before him, as Mala looked on with wide eyes. 'If you want your wealth to grow,' said the owl, 'you must learn the secrets of nature.'_

_He tapped Quin-Jin with his giant wing, and together they rose high in the air. Looking down, Quin-Jin saw everything in a new way. He could tell what land was best for farming, and which mountains held gold and silver._

_'This is wonderful!' said Quin-Jin. 'Just think how I can help people with what I know!'_

_'Certainly you could,' said the owl. 'But knowledge is power. Why not keep it all for yourself instead? Isn't that what other people do?'_

_'I suppose so,' said Quin-Jin._

_So they came to the capitol of the Fire Nation. Quin-Jin became a merchant, and with the help of the badger-mole and the owl, he grew many times richer than at first. He bought a palace for himself and Mala, and kept the puppets in a special room of their own._

_But Quin-Jin was not happy, for Mala still would not speak to him._

_One day, he placed before her a headdress fit for a queen. The heavy gold was set with dozens of large rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. The magnificent piece had cost Quin-Jin a third of his wealth._

_Mala took one look and pushed it away._

_Quin-Jin was heartbroken. He said, 'Don't you know I love you?' But she only glared at him and said not a word._

_The next morning, Quin-Jin went to the puppets' room and spoke to the badger-mole and the owl. 'Mala's father must now be very poor, while I have more than I need. I'll help Mala find him so I can pay him for what I took. Maybe then she'll speak to me, and even learn to love me.'_

_'A terrible idea!' said the badger-mole. 'You should never give up what is yours. You're just being weak!'_

_'Besides,' the owl told him, 'you're too late. Mala ran away last night.'_

_'What?' cried Quin-Jin. He rushed through the palace, but Mala was nowhere to be found._  
><em>Quin-Jin returned to the puppets' room in despair. 'What good is all my wealth if I've lost what I care for most?'<em>

_For once, the badger-mole and the owl were silent and still._

_Then Quin-Jin remembered there was one puppet he had never called on. He turned to the red dragon. 'Tell me, why has everything gone wrong?'_

_The puppet came to life. 'Quin-Jin, you imagined that wealth brings happiness. But true happiness comes only from goodness. What is important is not what you have but what you do with it.'_

_The moon spirit then came to life and stood beside the red dragon. 'You forgot what your father told you, Quin-Jin. Strength and knowledge are useful, but they must always serve wisdom and goodness.'_

_'I won't forget again,' said Quin-Jin._

_From that day on, Quin-Jin used his wealth and his talents to do good. He built a splendid holy pagoda, and offered food and shelter to those who visited the shrine._

_One day among the visitors, Quin-Jin saw a young woman he knew well. An older man stood beside her, both of them wearing humble clothes._

_'Mala!' cried Quin-Jin. He rushed over to the startled young woman and knelt before her puzzled father._

_'Master, I have done you great wrong. I beg your forgiveness. All I have is yours, and I give it up gladly. I will be content to return to my village and make puppets.'_

_'Father,' said Mala softly, 'this is Quin-Jin. But he has changed!'_

_'So it would seem!' said her father. 'And if so, it would be a shame to let go of a young man of such talent. Perhaps he would like to work for me, and live with us in the palace.'_

_So Quin-Jin became the merchant's assistant, and before long his partner, and when Mala's heart was won, his son-in-law._

_As for the puppets, Quin-Jin still called on them as needed. But though he was helped often by strength and knowledge, he was guided always by wisdom and goodness.'_  
><em>~~~The End~~~<em>

Katara blinked at the paper. She guessed that Aang had grown up with these sort of stories, which probably explained why he had such difficulty with earthbending; because strength wasn't that important to him. Or why he didn't care much for the library in the desert.

But, like the red dragon, Aang was good. There was no doubting that. Also, for a thirteen year old, he was pretty wise… like the moon spirit. At first, she wondered why Fire Nation folklore was in the temple, but then she remembered that the war hadn't really started until Sozin wiped out the Air Nomads, and this was a good story to tell.

She was reminded of the beautiful tale Zuko had told them last night, and how she couldn't help but cry at the death of The Painted Lady. After having the spirit of The Painted Lady reveal herself to Katara and thank her, she was deeply touched by her tragic death. She was reminded of Aang, who had told them that his favourite folklores were from the Fire Nation. She was inevitably reminded of dreaming about Zuko in her room, telling her that he had The Blue Spirit as his alter-ego...

She rolled the scroll up and put it back where she found it. Katara had quite enough of Fire Nation folklore to last a lifetime.

Katara was distressed by what Toph had said. She felt like everyone had fallen out of favour with her and to put it bluntly, it hurt. She wanted something to prove that Zuko was still the enemy, and so she set off toward his room.

She didn't think what she was doing was wrong. Katara had a natural curiosity and wanted to find out if Zuko was hiding something from them. She convinced herself that Zuko was actually evil so passionately that when she got to his room it took nothing to lift up his mattress and start nosing around. Disappointed to see only a single Pai Sho tile, she sighed. That wasn't what she needed. Katara sat on his bed and put her head in her hands. _If I were Zuko, where would I hide my things?_She wondered, slowly lifting her head. There was next to nothing in the room where anything could be hidden.

Realisation struck her like lightning. _Except the bag._It was too obvious, he wouldn't dare... Despite her doubts, Katara jumped off the bed and swung round it to get the bag. She thrust her hand into it and instantly felt her fingers curl around a cool, porcelain surface. Her heart skipped a beat and she slowly pulled the item from the bag, revealing a terrifying, blue mask.

She couldn't help the cry she made as she thrust the mask back into the bag and scrambled away from it. She stared at it as if it were going to attack her. It was true, Zuko really did go into her room last night, everything that Zuko had told her must have been true. There was no other reason as to why he would have done it.

He rescued Aang from the Fire Nation. He saved Appa from Lake Laogi. He had double-crossed his family for the Avatar.

_He had double crossed his family for the Avatar._

She had primarily gone into his room to find something proving him guilty, but in fact found the complete opposite. All that Zuko had done recently was be good and helpful. And Katara had thrown that back in his face. She hugged her arms numbly. For some reason, she still couldn't quite let go of the idea that Zuko had betrayed them before, and was bound to do it again.

As she rose from the ground, she began walking toward the main chamber in hope she would find some comfort. Her face had remained in a state of shock since she found that mask.

To make things worse, Katara felt a mixture of confusion, hate, guilt, regret, and embarrassment all toward Zuko. She was sorry that she had been so cruel to him, but then she hated what he had done to them in the past. She regretted saying some of the things that she said and was a little embarrassed about it. But then the dormant sense of betrayal rose up inside of her again, and she instantly hated Zuko. Hated every single part of him. Katara's head was all over the place, and it was all because of that stupid jerkbender.

She arrived to the temple to find only Toph sat alone in the same position she was in when Katara left them. Katara thought about leaving, but then remembered Toph would know she was there and would probably be offended. She hesitated, but walked toward Toph.

'Hey,' Katara offered gently.

'Hey, Sweetness. Sorry for snapping at you earlier,' she apologised, sitting up to face Katara.

'No, it's okay. You got me back with that rock anyw-'

'Not that,' Toph interrupted. She snickered, 'although that was funny,' she paused and cleared her throat. 'For telling you to let go, it was unfair.'

Katara was taken aback that Toph was apologising for something like that. It was completely out of character. She was tempted to put a hand on her forehead and check her temperature.

'It's okay, I just find it really hard to trust people once they've betrayed me...' Katara replied, blushing for some reason. She sat next to Toph. The small earthbender looked at Katara for a while before speaking.

'Was this guy another boyfriend of yours?' Toph asked seriously. Katara felt her blush deepen.

'What? No! That's absurd!' Katara shrieked, patting her hair down comfortingly.

'Okay, Sugar Queen. I was just asking...' Toph said slowly. She paused again, red filled her cheeks. Katara examined her face. That must have been the first time she had ever seen Toph blush. 'I need your help with something.'

'Of course, what is it?' Katara asked softly, watching Toph hide her face with her hair.

'I've started my, uh...' Toph faltered. Katara leant in toward her inquisitively. Toph cleared her throat and her lips twitched into a pout. 'Period,' Katara sat back somewhat relieved.

'Aah, I see. It's okay Toph, it's completely natural,' Katara consoled, putting a hand on her little shoulder. It was embarrassing to talk about things like periods when the threat of the world's destruction loomed over the earth. It felt trivial and somewhat stupid.

'I know, I know. I just wanted to know how you, uh... handle it,' Toph stuttered, keeping her head down and face hidden.

Katara realised that she never would have been shown what to do or what to expect. To her parents she was just their baby girl who needed coveting. But now, she was growing and maturing at the same rate Katara had. Katara had started her period in the South Pole, so had Gran-Gran to take care of her.

It was weird to see Toph like this, completely out of her comfort zone. She was so good at being hot-headed and sarcastic it must have been rather demeaning to be put in this position. But Katara was glad that Toph had gone to her about it. She felt like they were closer than they were before.

'I'll show you everything you need to know, come on,' Katara said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the bathing rooms.

* * *

><p>Relief flooded Katara's veins when she heard Aang's chirping voice and the constant worry that had been present in the back of her mind had vanished. She couldn't help herself jumping to her feet and running to hug him.<p>

It felt weird hugging Aang without his black head of hair, Katara was so used to it. His baldness reminded her of when they were all so young and pure. Full of eagerness and ready to take on the world.

Zuko had stopped beside Aang, almost waiting for Katara to break away from him so they could continue their conversation. She rose her eyes to his and studied his face. He was looking at her with gentle eyes, his mouth slightly askew. She didn't scowl at him for once- he was probably just as confused as her about where they stood with each other. Katara wondered why her heart skittered when he smiled at her.

She pulled away from Aang and cupped his face in her hands. Katara was going to ask him if he was all right when she saw his cheeks were scarlet. Embarrassed, she pulled her arms away from him and folded them across her chest, safely securing the 'only-friends' barrier once again.

'How was it, jerkbenders?' Sokka asked from behind them with Momo perched on his shoulder and leaching off the nuts in his palm.

'It was amazing!' Aang squealed, 'we met dragons!'

'Oh, wow!' Katara breathed. She regretted saying anything when both Zuko and Aang looked at her questionably. She stared at the dusty floor, not wanting either of their gazes set on her. Zuko elbowed Aang harshly in the ribs.

'Which we aren't allowed to tell them about,' he said through gritted teeth. Katara looked at them together. They looked like they were... such friends. She went to warm herself by the dwindling campfire and as she sat down it grew twice in size.

'I guess that means your bending's back,' Toph said cheerfully to Zuko, sticking her hands out to greet the new heat.

'Here,' Zuko's gruff voice said. He looked rather adoringly at Toph. Zuko mooched toward her and placed his hands over hers.

'Sparky! You're like a personal heater!' she gasped, pulling her hands from his and tucking them under her knees. He chuckled and sat by her.

Katara hadn't realised that she had been staring at him until his wondering eyes found hers. Flustered, she focused her attention on swirling soup around in the bowl with a few flicks of her wrist. Sokka coughed, breaking the silence.

'So Aang, when are you going to read the book?' Sokka asked. He wore that serious face of his when he was planning something out in his head or considering something deeply.

'I want to wait a few days to meditate, make sure I have a clearest conscience as possible, sort some things out in my head,' he turned his attention to Katara, 'clear my chakras.'

Katara hadn't noticed everyone else staring at her. She just felt herself and Aang, locked in a psychosocial battle of 'it's your fault I can't unlock the Avatar state. It's your fault I have a huge crush on you.'

Katara tore her eyes away from his. She didn't want to satisfy him by offering him a rueful look, as if accepting that it was all her fault. She knew that was ridiculous, that it wasn't her fault at all Aang developed a little crush on her over the time they'd known each other. And it was mutual, up until he told Katara she wouldn't risk anything because of the loss of her mother. He was right in one way, but completely wrong in the next. Katara had risked an awful lot for him. Even if he was a little right, he shouldn't of been so brash. Just by thinking about it, Katara felt anger rising up inside of her and foolishly tried to suppress it. Although she tried, she couldn't stop the words that came from her lips.

'You'd better hurry up and get over it, then.'

Then she was walking away from the awkward atmosphere that she and Aang created. She clutched her arms in icy hands and felt her feet take her to her room in the temple. It wasn't long until she heard a mellow, rasping voice behind her.

'You shouldn't of said that, Katara,' Zuko said.

'You don't know what you're talking about,' Katara retorted. She paused and bit her lip, realising that she sounded an awful lot like the boy she once got to know in a shining, dripping cave. A warm hand wrapped around her elbow.

'I'm sure I do,' Zuko murmured, trying to turn her to face him. She shook him off and didn't turn around. Katara continued walking to her room, despite the questions she so desperately wanted to ask him. Why did you come into my room last night? 'Katara.'

Her body stopped.

'I'm sorry.'

Katara didn't expect another apology. He had apologised already, but this time it felt different. It felt personal. She felt some of the hate lift, but not all.

'Okay,' Katara whispered, and shuffled away from him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Because sometimes we forget that the girls of Avatar are still girls.<strong>_

_**Please review! I know you're out there!**_


	9. Earthbending Lessons

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.  
>Big thank you to seraglio for editing, and just being awesome.<strong>_

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: Earthbending Lessons<p>

'A four way spar?' Aang asked, sounding particularly nervous.

'Yeah!' Katara said shrilly. Toph sighed. Zuko was obviously pushing her buttons, _again_.

'I don't see a problem with it,' Zuko growled quietly.

They were stood below one of the temple sides next to a large, flowing river. Katara had already taken to her element and was wading around in the shallowness of the river bank. Toph, Zuko and Aang all stood on the grass, slowly parting from the other, subconsciously making a space for a duel.

Toph was supposed to be training Aang, but Katara and Zuko were eager to get their training done first. To argue his point, Zuko said something about 'the sun being strong'. Katara was folding her arms and jutting out her lower lip saying that she 'had everyone's chores to get done'. And Toph, well, Toph was adamant Twinkletoes always had earthbending first thing and always would.

But for some reason, they wouldn't drop it. And somehow, they got onto the conversation of a 'four way spar'. Toph wasn't adverse to this, she could kick all their butts and be back in the temple before Sokka could say 'SNEAK ATTACK!'

So there they were, Aang's light feet feeling timid and hesitant. Katara's feather weight feeling forced to be steady and domineering. Zuko's heavier, but by no means clumsier, braced feet. It was a tense moment of waiting for the first move.

Toph felt almost like she was cheating when she blocked Katara's first attack toward Aang, but Katara's heartbeat was so obvious. Every time she went to make a move it would beat almost a hundred times quicker than it was before.

'Thanks Toph!' She heard Aang say.

Toph felt hot stream past her, and then in response a wave of water extinguishing it, creating a mighty sizzle. She frowned. This wasn't going to be a four way spar, this was going to be a way of Zuko and Katara venting their anger in their own little battle. Toph made her way to Aang and put a hand on his bare shoulder, wondering why he always insisted on training without a shirt before speaking to him.

'Seeing as this is supposed to be your earthbending lesson, I only want to see earthbending from you, okay?' Toph demanded, feeling his attention was somewhere else. All Toph could hear from Zuko and Katara were yells and grunts as they fought with each other mercilessly.

'Should we do something?' Aang asked sadly. Toph shook her head at him.

'Nope, they'll tire themselves out soon enough.'

But they didn't tire themselves out. They fought for thirty minutes straight, water jets, flame punches. Toph couldn't see much of what was happening because the attacks were mostly airborne. When water touched the land it added a horrible, inconsistent rippling vibration that Toph would much rather live without.

Toph was willing to let them get on and beat the crap out of each other, but when she heard Aang's heavy sigh sound a little too sorrowful and his light feet take him away she decided that it was enough.

'Right, I'm bored now,' Toph excused, lifting the ground under Zuko and Katara's charging feet so they went toppling into each other. She tried not to smirk as she felt the embarrassment register on their features, the position they had fallen in was too awkward to describe. She wasn't surprised to hear the anguish in their voices as they both shouted at her.

'TOPH!'

'Yeah? Maybe next time you should think a little,' she picked herself up and walked toward their untangling bodies. 'You really hurt Aang,' she felt satisfied to hear Katara's dread.

'What? Oh no...' Katara murmured.

'Ah…' Zuko said anxiously.

'I'm training him first,' Toph stated. When they didn't reply, she knew they were sorry. She turned her back to them and tried to locate Aang's signature tread.

* * *

><p>It didn't take too long for Toph to find Aang sulking in the most isolated temple in the entire area. It was on the edge of the complex, and was severely deteriorating.<p>

Toph padded into the room hesitantly. She felt the thinness of the room's floor; it had disintegrated with its age. She opened her mouth to tell Aang of this peril, but he interrupted her.

'Please don't tell me how much of a girl I am,' Aang murmured, shuffling to clutch his legs in his arms. Toph tried not to smirk.

'I wasn't going to, Twinkletoes. Put your handbag away,' she teased. When Aang said nothing, she slowly pressed toward him and sat beside his curled over body. 'Come on, let's go to the forest. This place is depressing,' Toph muttered, pulling his arm. He tensed his arm and stayed put, so she laced her fingers through his and urged him to his feet.

'I know a quicker way,' Aang said. Before Toph had a chance to object, she was lifted from her feet and blinded completely. She felt fret swamp her heart as Aang leapt from the hole in the temple.

'AANG!' She screamed, clutching her arms around his neck. All she could hear was Aang's low chuckle and the sound of wind rushing past her ears. She swore to herself now, when they touched the floor, she would break every single one of his bones.

'It's okay, I've got you,' Aang said in her ear. Toph hated that her heart flipped at his words- but then again, that may have been the fact they were flying through the air and increasing in speed.

After what felt like decades, Toph finally felt the vibrations from the ground erupt throughout Aang's body. She pushed him away with a harsh fist and promptly sent a jab of rock for Aang's groin. He cleverly deflected it with earthbending. If he had jumped out the way with airbending, Toph would have gone ballistic.

'Twinkletoes, never, _EVER_ do that to me again.'

'Aren't we going to the forest?' Aang asked, slowly stepping toward her.

Toph began to march toward the forest, but still felt like she needed revenge. She waited until they had been walking for five minutes before she opened the ground underneath his feet and let him fall into a rocky pit. She couldn't help but feel a twisted satisfaction at his punishment.

Aang leapt from the pit and dusted himself off with a small sigh. Toph bit her lip. She wanted to ask him something about what had happened the night before, but she wasn't sure if now was the right time. She shrugged; Toph wasn't ever one who considered people's feelings. These hormones were just sending her in a stupid frenzy.

'What was that with Katara last night?' She asked, her voice softer than she meant it to be. Aang didn't say anything, but his heartbeat seemed to slow.

'I don't really want to talk about it,' Aang answered.

'Don't be like that,' Toph replied, agitated. She hated it when people shut her out. Sometimes, she wished earthbending allowed her to read minds. Knowing whether or not they were lying just wasn't enough nowadays. Aang sighed again.

'I can't unlock the Avatar state because I have too much of a physical attachment to Katara.'

'Woah,' Toph gasped. 'Does she know that?'

'Yeah,' Aang said quietly. 'I told her not long after we went to Ember Island...'

'Oh,' Toph didn't know what she wanted to hear from Aang, but it wasn't that. 'You know Aang, that really sucks,' she consoled.

'What?' Aang asked, baffled.

'Well,' she paused, knowing that Aang probably didn't want to hear the truth right now- but she was going to tell him anyway. 'After last night, I'm kinda guessing she doesn't feel the same way,' Toph finished. I_t makes sense,_ Toph thought, _ever since Sparky joined Katara's been particularly edgy_.

'I guess that's right,' Aang confirmed sadly. 'Do you think she likes Zuko?' He asked, his voice suddenly cold, disgusted. Despite what she had been previously thinking, hearing it out loud made it sound even more ridiculous. She laughed.

'Are you serious? She _hates _him.'

'I don't want that, either,' Aang said, humour tainting his voice.

'It's out of your hands, Twinkletoes,' Toph said tiredly. She didn't want to talk about 'Aang's fierce love for Katara' anymore. 'Stop here, this is the best place to train.'

They had come to a wide clearing devoid of trees. Toph could still feel the echoing vibrations of the temple from a distance, so decided this was the safest place to train.

'Show me your stance,' Toph demanded. Aang entered the perfect stance, and even though Toph was impressed she would never tell him. 'Almost. Your best rock wall?'

Aang did as she asked, and created a sturdy feeling rock wall. Nothing as good as something Toph could have made, but that was expected. She put a hand on her chin and nodded.

'Earth amour.'

Aang created a thick shield of earth around his body and resumed his stance. Toph shot a line of raised ground at Aang, hoping to catch him off guard. He responded with a tough punch to the ground, severing the line. He stripped the earth from his body and it fell to the floor. She grinned as an idea sparked in her mind.

'Pretend this rock,' she raised a hefty boulder from the ground. 'Is Zuko, stealing your woman,' Toph teased. She stamped the boulder toward him, and was stunned when in retaliation Aang broke the boulder to a million tiny pieces.

'I'm just kidding,' Toph waved her hands at him defensively. She smirked wickedly, 'Katara isn't your woman.'

They practised bending for a while, Toph hadn't realised that the air was getting thinner, and the ground getting colder. It must have been dark for a while. She cracked her knuckles.

'That'll be enough for today, Twinkletoes,' she paused, 'you've done well.'

Toph so rarely offered compliments for Aang's bending, she thought that he deserved it at least once. She felt his heart skip at her words.

'Thank you, Sifu Toph!' Aang said happily. He suddenly quieted down, his heart resumed its normal pace. 'Do we have to go back?'

Toph felt unusually sympathetic toward Aang. Things in the group had been awkward ever since Sokka became aware of Aang's crush. Nobody thought that Toph knew a diddly-doo-da, but of course she did. Every time Sweetness spoke to him, his heart plummeted. She gave him a small smile.

'No, we don't.'

Aang sighed in relief, and slung his arm around Toph's neck. She wanted to push him away- not because she didn't want Aang holding her, but because Toph hated all this touching. It always made her feel particularly uncomfortable. Instead, she simply stood still and let him have his moment of affection.

'Where do you want to go?' Toph asked, not turning her face to him.

'Let's just stay here,' Aang murmured in her ear. She ducked out from under him and plunked her body on the floor. Toph was waiting for Aang to join her, when she remembered she still had that scroll that Katara had thrown at her the day before. She wanted to know what it was Katara had been reading, so pulled it out of her robes and threw it at Aang.

'Can you read this for me?' She asked, crossing her legs. Aang sat down beside her, and Toph heard the crinkle of old scroll opening up.

'The Yin and Yang symbol, the idea of opposing, and yet, complementary forces. Yang representing masculinity, the sun, the sky and daytime. Yin, femininity, the moon, the earth and night time,' Aang read. 'Hm.'

'Ah, you're in luck Twinkletoes. Opposites attract. You get me!' Toph joked, lying on her back. Aang stayed still for a moment, before lying next to her.

'She really doesn't care about me, does she?' Aang asked, turning his body to face hers. She frowned.

'Come on Aang, I was just-'

'Yeah, but she doesn't. She even said so herself, to get over her,' Aang whispered. Toph sighed.

'She's not the only girl in the world, Twinkletoes. What about that girl you danced with when we were hiding out in the Fire Nation? She totally had the hots for you,' Toph said, stretching her arms and legs out.

'But nobody's like Katara…' Aang moped.

For reasons unknown to Toph, anger stirred in her gut and she found herself propelling Aang ten feet in the sky with a great column of dirt. A yell came from his mouth before he used airbending to soften his landing. She stood and put her face directly before his; wearing a scowl similar to the one she wore when Twinkletoes jumped out the way of a boulder in his first earthbending lesson.

'Listen to me Twinkletoes and listen good!' Toph shouted. 'Katara isn't the first girl to be in your life, and she certainly won't be the last! You're the _Avatar _for crying out loud!'

Toph was surprised to hear silence, and even more surprised to feel a warm exhale on her lips.

'I like when you're angry. You're not afraid to get in my face,' Aang said, producing more heat on Toph's mouth. She felt a new sort of feeling, she wasn't sure what, but it felt warm and smooth, like it was trickling down the inside of her chest. She inched away from him a little.

'Aang, I'm always in your face.'

He sighed and slipped his hand into hers.

'Come on, let's get back. They're probably getting worried,' Aang said, leading her back to the temple.

* * *

><p>When they arrived back, Toph felt the vibrations of three people and a very irritating Momo in the main chamber. She tugged Aang in their direction, and only just remembered that they were still holding each other's hands. She pulled her hand away from his and clutched it in her own.<p>

'Toph!' She heard Katara yelp.

'How's it going Sweetness?' Toph replied lazily, 'ooh, what's for dinner?'

'The usual. A mix of everything we could find in a bowl. Here,' Katara thrust a bowl into Toph's hands and she took a mighty gulp, sitting down next to Zuko. He was always so warm.

'…How was training?' Katara pressed. Toph got the impression that she had directed that question at Aang, but wasn't expecting an answer.

'It was good,' Toph said quickly, relieving Aang of having to answer. She could almost feel Katara's thick disappointment. 'Twinkletoes is really improving.'

'Oh, wow. Great, Aang,' Katara stuttered, hugging her arms tightly.

Toph hated all this blunt, awkwardness. She wondered what happened to the times where they could just all have a laugh. It had been awkward since that damned Ember Island trip, but everything seemed to worsen when Zuko joined the group. Katara became more… difficult.

'Have you guys seen my space sword?' Sokka interrupted, pacing the chamber and kicking pieces of concrete around with his foot.

'Have you checked Appa's saddle?' Katara asked. Sokka shook his head.

'It's not there...'

'What about the bathing room? I swear that's where I saw it last...' Zuko trailed off. Sokka clicked his fingers.

'Ahh! That's right, the bathing rooms!' Sokka exclaimed humorously, as if he thought that leaving it somewhere so obvious truly hilarious.

'I'll come with you,' Aang said solemnly, and stood up with Sokka. Leaving Toph, Katara and Zuko in the chamber. She could almost feel the harsh silence descending over them.

'This place is too big for five people,' Toph said, feeling the ominous echo her words made.

Her stomach suddenly felt very cold, and the air felt too heavy. It felt like it was trying to compress her into the floor, as part of the architecture. She couldn't suppress the groan that left her throat. Her head spun, and mouth watered with that sickly taste she had grown to know on a Fire Navy ship.

'Toph, are you okay?' Katara asked, putting a hand on Toph's shivering shoulder. Toph squeezed her eyes shut and tried to force back whatever it was trying to crawl up her throat.

'M-mm,' she moaned shaking her head. 'I think I'm gonna-' and she vomited all over Katara's knees.

'Oh, spirits...' Katara moaned, summoning water from her pouch and cleaning herself off. Toph lurched forward again, but Katara was quicker this time and hurriedly leapt out the way.

'Zuko, get me fresh water. There's an emergency supply in Appa's saddle,' Katara ordered, tucking Toph's hair behind her ears and stroking her back. 'Oh, and blankets!' Katara yelled after him.

She was sick again, and again, and again. It felt like hours until all that Toph could do was retch. Katara put water to her mouth and forced Toph to drink.

'Just sips,' she said sweetly. 'Can you get Sokka to carry her? I'm not strong enough...' She said to Zuko.

'I'll do it,' Zuko offered, wrapping Toph in a blanket and pulling her into his arms. He was even warmer this close, but Toph felt too hot. She tried to focus on settling her stomach so she wasn't sick all over Zuko, too.

'Katara...' Toph said weakly.

'What is it?' Katara asked softly, putting her face close to Toph.

'Is there some way you can bend the liquid in my sick, and keep it down?'

She heard both Zuko and Katara chuckle, and wondered whether or not they knew she was serious. She was. But they obviously didn't think so.

They got to her room and Zuko set her down on the bed. She shook her head at him and tried to get on the floor. She always felt more at home on the ground. Katara pushed Toph down with a firm hand.

'Not the floor tonight, Toph. You're too sick,' Katara said, sitting on the edge of the thin mattress and stroking Toph's sweaty head. There was silence for a while; Toph felt Katara and Zuko's presence in the room so she knew she wasn't alone.

'If you'll be my boat, I'll be your sea, a depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity,' Katara sung. She had a sweet voice, it was pure and gentle. It made Toph feel nostalgic for her mother's voice.

'Ebbing, and flowing, and pushed by a breeze, I live to make you free. You can set sail to the west if you want to, and past the horizon, until I can't even see you, and I'll remember the days, when we used to speak, of the complicated beauty, of a river run dry. That's what I'll remember you by…' It ended with a small sigh and a set of lips pressed against Toph's forehead. Toph felt Zuko's steps lead away, but not Katara's. In the presence of a girl she trusted with her blindness, she allowed herself to drift into sleep…

'TOPH!' Aang burst into the room. What was with everyone shouting her name today? No sleep just yet, then. 'What did you do to her?' He demanded in a flurry, reaching for her clammy hand.

'Aang, I didn't do anything,' Katara said, shocked. 'If anything I helped her!'

'Oh,' Aang said bluntly. 'Toph…' he said slowly, crouching next to her. Toph smiled weakly.

'Hey, Twinkles. I don't feel so good…'

'No, no. Don't speak, rest,' he whispered, hardening his grip on her hand. 'What made her sick?' Aang asked Katara in a low voice. He must have thought Toph couldn't hear.

'I'm not sure,' Katara said in a similar volume, 'she must have had an allergic reaction to something.'

'What was in the soup today that was unusual?' Aang pressed.

'I don't know, uh…' Katara trailed off, sounding a little agitated. 'It was a mix of everything we had been eating and more. It could have been anything,'

'Did you have any of it?' Aang asked cautiously.

'No, why?' Katara asked. They had abandoned their quieter tones, now.

'It might not just have been Toph…' Aang murmured. Katara gasped and ran from the room, shouting Sokka's name. Toph submitted to the sleep that was trying so desperately to hinder her, and lost consciousness.

* * *

><p><em><strong>This was a little shorter. Do you prefer the chapters this kind of length, or the length before?<strong>_

_**I find Taang truly adorable, but so difficult to write!  
><strong>_


	10. Hunting

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 10: Hunting<p>

Katara woke early the next morning with the pungent smell of vomit contaminating her nose. She was half asleep and ripping her stinking robes off to try and rid herself of the reek.

'Ah.'

Katara nearly jumped out of her skin. She searched for the origin of the voice and found Zuko's back turned to her. She nearly screamed at him.

'Why are you in my room?'

'I-I'm not in your room…' Zuko replied rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Katara paused and looked around her. She found herself in Toph's room, on the floor by her bed, Zuko not too far away, Katara in nothing but her wrappings.

'Eek!' She squealed grabbing her stinking clothes and running from the room with a painfully strong blush.

* * *

><p>Once she was washed and changed, she went to find a very unwell Sokka. He was handling the sickness better than Toph. But still, he was vomiting every time he had something in his stomach. As she walked toward the room she found Aang and Zuko in the corridor talking in hushed voices. They stopped when they saw her.<p>

'What?' She asked nervously.

'You and Zuko should go and find some more food,' Aang paused, 'that isn't poisonous.'

'What? Why do I have to go?' Katara complained.

'Because you're a waterbender, so it's easier to fish. And, Zuko said he has a knowledge of all the plants and animals from when he travelled the world with his uncle.'

'He always _loved_ to talk about deadly Fire Nation plant and animals…' Zuko mumbled. 'But he was useless when it came to the Earth Kingdom.'

'You're a waterbender too, Aang,' Katara protested. She felt very uncomfortable in this position. Katara had never been on good terms with Zuko, but now she and Aang were fighting… and seeing as both Toph and Sokka were spewing their guts out every time they moved, she felt pretty alone.

'I know, but I'm not leaving To- I'm not leaving them here,' Aang said calmly.

'Well, I'm a healer. If anyone should stay here it's me,' Katara protested. Zuko cleared his throat.

'I don't mind going alone...'

'No. It's not safe,' Aang said. 'Besides, a waterbender makes catching fish a lot faster.'

'I don't understand why I can't stay,' Katara said scornfully. It's not that she didn't want to help out with the food; it's that she didn't want to be left alone with Zuko in the forest. When Toph first started being sick, a faraway voice in her head told her that Zuko had somehow slipped poison in their food.

'Katara,' Aang started, sounding strained. 'It's only fair. Something that you picked out made them throw up. You say you don't know what, so hopefully by you going with Zuko you'll recognise some of the plants and he'll be able to tell you what one made them sick,' he paused, as if biting back words that he didn't want to say, 'and how badly.'

Katara studied his face before nodding slowly, and turning to Zuko.

'Come on, jerkbender.'

'Charming,' Zuko replied.

He had been less passive ever since he had confessed his alter-ego to her. He actually responded to her insults rather than just take them. It was unwise of him to do so; Katara would rarely allow herself to lose a fight. Especially with Zuko. It was probably why they battled for thirty minutes without stopping. Neither of them would have stopped if it weren't for Toph, she almost blushed at the memory of their bodies wrapped together due to the tiny earthbender.

They walked deeply into the forest without a word shared between them. Zuko was clearing his throat so much; Katara thought that he was constantly trying to get her attention. She nearly swung round to tell him to quit it when her eye caught one of the plants she had used in the soup.

'Ah!' Katara exclaimed, running toward the plant and examining it.

'What is it?' Zuko asked.

'This is one of the plants I used,' Katara answered, waiting for him to tell her whether or not it was the culprit. He knelt beside her and stared at the medium sized plant with great green leaves and purple, thistle-like flowers. Katara would still stiffen at his presence. Despite the _slight _trust she had in him now, she frequently had to remind herself to not prepare for battle at the sound of his voice.

'No, this is fine to eat,' Zuko said, picking one of the flowers off and popping it into his mouth. 'It's a popular Fire Nation gift for wedding anniversaries.'

'An animal could have peed on that,' Katara said without thinking. Zuko's mouth tugged up at the corners ever so slightly.

The smile vanished as quickly as it appeared and he moved away from Katara. She too, followed his lead and brushed herself off.

'You go ahead,' Zuko said gruffly. Katara nodded and began searching for some of the plants she had chosen to put in the soup.

Katara hadn't thought about any of the plants reliability when she plucked them. She chose the ones that looked most similar to the ones that they ate in the Earth Kingdom. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

She took them to the place that she had picked the other foreign plant, and tried to search for its strange appearance. The stem, long and thin, with a small cylinder shaped vegetable on top. When she saw it, she didn't say anything to Zuko- she simply pointed at the swaying patch of plants. He followed her pointing finger and picked one of them, examining it thoroughly. He shook his head at her.

'Nope, this is fine, too.'

Katara groaned. She didn't want to spend any longer than she had to in Zuko's presence. It felt like she was walking on eggshells with what she said. She didn't want to blurt out anything about The Blue Spirit, or going into his room and snooping around.

Katara ran a hand through her hair and turned to walk toward the river. She had caught some strange looking fish, which could have been the cause. Zuko cleared his throat, _again_.

'Zuko!'

'What?'

'Quit aheming!' There was a slight pause.

'...Aheming?'

'You know,' Katara played with her hair. 'Clearing your throat. Do you have a cold, or something?' She asked, recoiling away slightly. Katara couldn't afford to get sick right now.

'I don't think so...' Almost as soon as Zuko spoke, rain started to fall. Katara sighed.

'Great. Let's just go get some fish before we _do _catch a cold.'

They pressed toward the river that everyone fished in. Katara wasn't usually the one to fish out of the group, even though it would be easier considering she was a waterbender- she didn't want to steal Sokka's thunder, his 'off the hook' skills.

When they got there, the rain was falling incredibly hard and both Zuko and Katara were drenched. She didn't mind the rain too much, being constantly surrounded by water made her feel as if she was back at the South Pole. However, in the forest there was the smell of sweet, wet earth and sodden pine leafs. Katara welcomed the sensation of water in her hair and dripping down her cheeks. She found it hard not to admire the appearance of their little lake. It rippled and thrummed with the raindrops, the stones on the bankside glittered in the storm, Katara thought that rain made everything look magical.

'Bergh, I hate rain,' Zuko said. Katara rolled her eyes and made a dismissive noise, waving him away with one hand. 'What? Are you saying you _like _it?'

'Well, yeah. I'm a waterbender. I love being covered in my element.'

'I'm a firebender… That doesn't mean I liked being covered in fire!' Zuko replied.

Something inside of Katara made itself known in that moment. Something that she had thought was abandoned completely since Ba Sing Se. She felt herself laugh. Really laugh. It was an alien feeling to her, to laugh without forcing it, or even contemplating forcing it. She felt it was honest and true, and completely necessary. When she was able to get control of herself, she slapped her hand over her mouth and looked up at Zuko's perplexed face.

'Sorry,' she said, wondering why she apologised soon after saying it.

'Don't be sorry,' Zuko murmured slowly, staring into her eyes with that intense stare he so liked to wear. She tore her eyes away from his, and focused on capturing fish.

Katara felt the pull of her element as she raised her hands before her and shut her eyes, trying to feel for any fish. She felt one a lot larger than the one she had yesterday, but it had the same fins, same body shape. Katara raised it from the stream and bent it above her.

'What about this fish?' Katara asked, twirling her hands in an intricate dance to keep the fish in her control.

'Could you just lower it? I can barely see...' He said, agitated.

'Zuko, I don't need you telling me how to bend,' she spat at him.

'I'm not. I'm just saying-'

'Well don't JUST SAY!' Katara yelled. Losing concentration, the fish she had in the bubble of water had swam out, promptly slapped her in the face and fell to the floor. Zuko quickly grabbed the fish and shoved it in the bag. Blushing a strong scarlet, Katara saw Zuko hiding a small grin.

Humiliated, she summoned water from the lake and smacked him across the head with a sharp water whip. He stumbled away from her, catching himself on a thin tree trunk.

'Wipe that smile off your face,' she said, huffing. He swung around to face her and grabbing her wrist turned her to face him. Breath left her lungs as her face was only inches away from his. Katara looked him squarely in the eyes, not acknowledging his distracting scar or the rain water that was slowly dripping down his face.

'Or what?' Zuko demanded, releasing her wrist. She pulled her hand away to jab him in the shoulder, but didn't back down.

'I'll wipe it away for you,' Katara spoke in a terse whisper. Her hair felt heavy with the rain, she felt drops of water slide down her lower back and sink into her skin. Regardless of the hate she had for him, she couldn't help but think he looked strangely beautiful stood there in the rain. As she shivered from the cold and a tiny smile crept across Zuko's mouth. She could have sworn she saw his eyes drop to her lips, but he looked away so quickly Katara thought she may have imagined it. He leant back.

'I don't doubt it. Let's just get some more food and go,' Zuko replied in a monotone voice and without the smile which was formerly on his face. He opened the bag up and stared into it. Katara studied his face as his eyes widened and his skin almost visibly paled.

'What... What is it?' Katara asked hesitantly.

'This is the tigerfish, it's extremely poisonous!' Zuko cried. He kept his cool so often, seeing him freak out like this was more than unsettling. Katara hugged her arms and stepped toward him.

'How bad...' She whispered scared to raise her voice any higher than what it was.

'It causes stomach bleeding, violent vomiting and after 24 hours...' Zuko sounded like he was reciting something. He looked up into Katara's eyes with fear, and she knew what the end of his sentence was.

'Death,' she finished for him.

'We need to find the antidote,' Zuko shouted, throwing the fish back into the river. Katara found herself unable to speak. 'It's a flat leafed plant, with red flowers that have pointed leafs and black berries, we need the black berries...' He yelled, running into the wood.

Katara ran after him and frantically tried to find the plant of his description. _Flat leaves with red flowers and black berries, flat leaves with red flowers..._

Toph and Sokka _couldn't_ die because of Katara's bad choice in food. She wouldn't let them. It would be so humiliating the kids that were supposed to save the world and defeat the Firelord couldn't even pick out safe fish to eat.

'I found it! I found it!' Zuko roared, sprinting past Katara and toward the temple.

'Zuko! Wait, slow down!' Katara yelled after him, trying to keep up. She didn't understand his urgency, Sokka and Toph had only drunk the soup ten hours ago- they didn't have to run _all_ the way back. Usually, Katara would encourage the haste. But now, when it was raining so much and the ground was so slippery, she didn't want to risk it by them both breaking their legs.

'Why?' He turned around and shouted back. 'Why Katara?'

'Because if you keep running with the ground this wet, you're going to break your legs!' She shrieked. He paused, and looked at her solemnly.

'Why do you hate me?' He asked so quietly it was barely audible amidst the sound of the torrential rain and gusting winds. Katara bit her lip and took a few steps toward him.

'I don't hate you, I hate what you did,' she said loudly enough for him to hear.

'Like you've never disappointed anyone before?' He yelled in a sudden burst of fury.

Katara stared at him in awe. It was one thing for Zuko to look brooding and say sorry, but another to actually fight back… but _really _fight back. Not a sly, on the side comment that could be shrugged off, or a silly little spar were neither of them actually wanted to really hurt each other. An actual eruption of hostility, an actual fight with actual meanings.

'What..?' Katara whispered, dread filling her stomach. She knew what Zuko meant. He meant when, in Ba Sing Se, she told him that she would heal him, but as soon as Aang appeared she left him behind. She once swore that she would never turn her back people that needed her, and in that moment down in those twinkling caves, nobody else in the entire world needed her more than he did.

'Don't give me that look.' He spat. 'You fell through on me, too. You're not all good.'

With a fierce look in his eye, he shook his head slowly and turned away from her, this time walking back to the temple. Katara ambled behind him hugging her arms and staring at the flooded ground. She knew what he said was true, and although she had thought for so long that what he did was worse, she began to doubt herself. Was it worse? Was leaving him behind with only the _promise_ of 'what if' better than a betrayal that wasn't really so unexpected? Even if Katara tried to convince herself that what Zuko did _was_ worse, it wouldn't justify or rationalize the fact she had acted as if she was a far better person than Zuko could ever be.

Katara's old self began to shine through the layer of hate she had designed to protect herself. She felt the thick layer of resentment and regret crack, but not diminish. She felt the urge to stop Zuko and apologise to him, but found her lips fastened shut. All that she was concentrating on right now was trying not to cry. _Don't show weakness. Never show weakness again._

* * *

><p>'Sokka! Toph!' Katara shouted, hearing her words echo throughout the temple's halls.<p>

She urged Zuko on gently by pushing him in the back with two hands. He looked back at her with the corner of his eye and a tilted mouth. Katara stared at his amber eyes before smiling. 'Hurry,' she said gently.

He nodded, looking shocked at her sudden affection and began to speed toward the room Sokka was in.

'Katara, can you bend the juice out of these berries?' Zuko asked, opening his hands to reveal the cluster of black berries in his palms.

'Yep, is this all we have?' Katara asked, bending the juice from the berries.

'They won't need much,' Zuko said, watching her hands weave the juice from their skins.

When she had sucked out all the liquid she could, she separated the juice into two bubbles, and bent one into Sokka's mouth, sliding it down his throat. Despite how it may have looked, it was very tricky. Anything that Sokka ate, he would puke back up. She focused on keeping the juice inside his protesting stomach, and when she felt safe to release it, did so.

'One down,' Katara said defiantly. Zuko grinned at her and led away to Toph's room. Before she followed, she gave Sokka a quick peck on the head.

They got to Toph's room and found Aang slumped over the corner of her bed, fast asleep. Toph, a little more elegant than Sokka in her slumber, had her mouth shut. Katara shook Toph awake and spoke in a soft voice as to not unsettle her.

'Toph, Toph wake up. We have something to make you better...'

Toph's eyes flickered open and she gave Katara a tiny grin.

'Sweetness, that can only be you,' she said in a rasp. Katara smiled at her.

'Swallow this Toph, it'll make you feel better...' Katara bent the juice into her mouth and pushed it down her throat. She would have let Toph swallow it by herself, but she wasn't sure her stomach would allow it without a fight. Katara forced the contents of her stomach to stay put, and again, released it when she felt it safe.

'Thank you, Sweetness,' Toph purred. 'Can I sit on the floor now?'

'Yes,' Katara laughed, helping her onto the floor. 'Zuko, could you check on Sokka?' She asked. Zuko nodded and left the room.

'Ah, the beautiful floor,' Toph said, lying face down on the concrete. Katara watched her contentedly, everyone was alright. Everyone was going to be alright.

Suddenly, Toph's body froze still. Her eyes opened wide and she pressed her ear to the floor. Panic swayed over Katara's senses and she reached for her, frightened of the onset of another puking frenzy.

'Top-'

'Shh!' Toph demanded, pressing her feet to the ground as if listening intently to vibrations. 'We've got intruders.'

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><p><em><strong>Earlier than usual because of the Christmas holidays!<br>**__**This chapter was more of a filler than anything, to give Zuko and Katara some… one on one time before an important part of chapter 11. But, no spoilers!  
><strong>__**Thank you all for leaving reviews, it really helps me to write this.  
><strong>__**This is only just the beginning.**_


	11. The Invaders

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 11: The Invaders<p>

'Toph… Who is it?' Katara whispered into the floor, her face next to Toph's.

'I'm not sure… a whole group of people!' Toph whispered back. She cussed viciously. 'There are too many awkward vibrations in this stupid temple; the echoes are blurring my vision…' Katara considered her.

'What shall we do?' she asked determinedly.

'We need to get closer, where I can actually feel their vibrations and see if it's Sparky's sister and her crew.'

'Okay, let's do this,' Katara said, she grabbed her hand and yanked her from the floor.

'Argh, wait,' Toph groaned. 'I still feel rotten, I can't…' she trailed off, clutching her stomach.

'No, of course, it's fine,' Katara said, leading Toph to her bed. 'Where are they?' she paused, 'roughly.'

'Above the temple,' Toph said, sitting down on the bed and putting her head between her knees. Zuko walked into the room casually. He took one look at their troubled faces and adopted one for his own.

'What's wrong?' He asked in a soft voice, putting a hand on the handle of his swords.

'There are people here, but we don't know who,' Toph said through gritted teeth.

'Come on, Zuko,' Katara said, springing out of the room and toward the top of the temple. He followed closely behind her, unsheathing his swords and creating a mighty ringing sound. She turned her face back to him whilst running and within her breaths told him, 'let's take them down.'

He nodded at her with a smirk and they increased in speed with every step they took. As they reached the top of the temple, Zuko and Katara crouched behind one of the walls near the only entrance that a group of people could possibly use. Zuko put a finger to his lips as to hush Katara, and carefully leant around the corner of the wall to peek at the invaders.

Similarly to Toph, Zuko's body tensed. He dropped his swords to the floor with a unambiguous _clank_. Katara leapt forward to grab his arms as to shake some sense into him when he stood and ran, unarmed, toward the intruders.

Fear entirely engulfed Katara; she -perhaps irrationally- believed that Zuko was running toward his sister, and was ready to plead for her forgiveness. Katara wasn't too sure whether or not it was fear or dread. She had finally started to accept him, and if this was another rouse to capture the Avatar… She whipped around the corner and raced after him, uncorking her waterskins and producing a thin, deadly ribbon of water. Katara would make sure that this time, she would personally finish-

-and that's when she saw him slumped into the ground before a man in ragged red clothes. The dread had disappeared at the sight of him collapsed on the floor, but horror replaced it.

'Zuko!' She yelled, raising the coil of water and whipping it at the man before him as to fend him off. The man stumbled back, clutching his forehead and yelping.

'Katara, wait!' Zuko shouted back at her.

'Katara!' a deep, well recognised voice said. Katara's heart leapt in excitement. She let the water fall from her grip, splashing on the floor in the silence. It was the voice of her father, her searching eyes desperately flitted through the group of people and she saw him.

'Dad,' Katara whispered as she couldn't quite muster up the ability for anything louder. The shock of it all hit her like a runaway boulder. He ran toward her with a wide smile and open arms. 'Dad!' She cried, running into his embrace. 'You came back… You really came back!' she said, tears slipping down her cheeks.

'I've missed you so much, Katara…' Hakoda purred, stroking her frazzled hair.

'You've got to see Sokka! He's got to know you're here!' Katara cried, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the temple.

'Where's Sokka?' a feminine voice from behind the crowd said. Katara identified some of them as Hakoda's fleet and some of them younger people, similar to Katara's age, in ripped red clothes. She recognized Smellerbee and Longshot, and her eyes quickly fell upon a badly abused Suki.

'Suki!' Katara exclaimed, embracing her in a tight hug. Suki winced and Katara looked at her bandaged arm, 'Oh, sorry...' Katara began. She looked to the freedom fighters and couldn't help but grin at their presence. 'Smellerbee, Longshot! You're okay!' Katara paused, 'Jet…'

'Didn't make it,' Smellerbee said remorsefully, staring at Zuko with cold eyes.

'Oh no…' Katara murmured, bringing her hands to her mouth and suddenly feeling very sick. 'How... How-' she wanted to ask them how the escaped, but found she couldn't actually speak. Her throat felt thick and very tight. It seemed as if her vocal cords didn't want to listen to her anymore, she was on the verge of breaking down when she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Katara looked up lovingly to her father, and accepted his welcoming arm round her shoulder.

'I helped them escape,' said the man that Katara had previously attacked. She glanced up at him to get a better look, and saw the kind face of General Iroh. He looked a lot stronger than he had done when Katara had last seen him. His clothes were barely holding his bulging muscles. However, his leg was in a bandage that was attached to a splint and his arm in a cast. 'I don't believe we've formally met,' Iroh said, limping forward and bowing in the only way he could with a broken arm. 'I'm Iroh, but you can call me uncle.'

Katara grinned at him and returned the bow. As she rose, she saw Zuko slapping his forehead.

'You don't have to call him uncle...' He said ruefully to Katara.

'But I insist!' Iroh protested, slinging his huge arm around Zuko's neck and ruffling his hair. He suddenly looked very small compared to his uncle. But then again, all of them did.

'We saw Hakoda's Water Tribe ships when we were escaping. We signalled them over-' Suki started excitedly, before Iroh interrupted her.

'-breaking some bones in the process.'

'And said we were trying to find you guys! So we all came here to The Western Air Temple,' Suki finished, looking so happy she could burst. Katara stared at them all with twinkling eyes.

'Come on, there's more than enough space for _all _of you here. I'll sort out some food...' Katara ushered them all inside the temple and toward the main chamber, linking her arm through her fathers and engrossing herself in a conversation with Suki.

'What happened to you? How did you end up in a Fire Nation prison?' Katara asked, both horrified and intrigued at the same time.

'Some of the Kyoshi Warriors and I were picking berries not far from Ba Sing Se when we saw Appa. He was badly hurt and in need of care so we all helped look after him,' Suki said, tucking strands of loose hair behind her ears. 'That's when Azula and her crew turned up, and we had this fight, and they caught us...' Katara gasped.

'So that's where they got those uniforms from!' Katara exclaimed. Suki looked at her with a confused face.

'They confiscated our outfits but...' Suki pressed for further explanation.

'They used those outfits to make the Earth King believe that they were you. And then they pretty much conquered Ba Sing Se,' Katara explained. Suki stared at her vacantly.

'Wait, what?'

'Don't worry,' Katara said giggling. She led them all to the main chamber and they all sat down, exhausted.

Katara's mind raced with all that they had to do. She wished that she and Zuko had gotten more food earlier on in the day seeing as they now had loads of hungry mouths to feed. But since they had returned the sky had darkened and twilight had set over the temples. It was too dangerous to venture outside now. It was going to have to be soup again. Katara grabbed Suki's hand before she sat.

'Come on, I'll take you to Sokka,' she said quietly. Suki's face brightened up instantly.

'Thank you!' Suki replied, walking with Katara to his room.

'I don't want to be...' Katara paused and bit her lip, 'out of turn, I suppose. But would you mind me asking...'

'You don't want to know, Katara,' Suki said darkly. Katara looked at her with a lost expression.

'Was it really that bad?' she whispered, not wanting Sokka to hear a thing.

'Yes,' Suki replied without a second's hesitation. 'It was worse.'

Katara gripped her own arms and led the rest of the short walk in silence. She leant against Sokka's doorframe when they arrived and offered Suki and small, rather sad smile.

'Do I look okay?' Suki asked, fussing over her hair.

Katara looked at her worn, ragged, tired face and knew that the honest answer was no, she didn't look at all okay. She looked like that of a tortured teenager who was determined to pick up the pieces of her life and begin to rebuild it. Katara realised just how comfortably she had been living these past few weeks compared to Suki.

Nonetheless, Katara stared into Suki's bright eyes and saw the girl she once was, and would in the future be again. With this knowledge, she was one of the most perfect girls that Katara had ever seen.

'Beautiful,' Katara murmured. Suki smiled at her thankfully, and stepped into his room. Katara looked around the corner to see Sokka laying half on the bed and half off, breathing heavily with a gaping mouth- completely in character. Katara relished in that. At least Suki would be able to return to _some_normality.

Katara pulled herself away from them both and trudged to Toph's room to inform them that they were safe, and that Aang should join them for dinner. When she got there, she was stunned and a little anxious to find the room empty.

She returned to the main chamber to bluster of conversation and Toph and Aang talking joyfully to the new commodities of their group. Katara smiled and set on making soup for everyone. She calculated the amount of people in her head: Herself, Sokka, Suki, Toph, Aang, Zuko, Iroh, Hakoda, Bato, Smellerbee, Longshot... the rest of Hakoda's entire fleet. She sighed. There were already 10 people, and another 13 from his fleet, and then Appa...

'Ugh!' She said aloud. Katara felt herself blush as everyone's eyes settled upon her. She laughed nervously, trying to break the tension. 'Who's hungry?' And there was an eruption of noise again. 'Okay, there isn't much food at the moment, so it'll have to be mudatoe and catsparagus stew...' she said, relieved everyone was polite enough to nod and thank her. Not wanting to be the centre of attention in the middle of the room, she heaved the clay pot from its original setting and moved it closer to the fountain, making up a new campfire.

'I'll help,' Zuko's voice said from behind her. Usually, she would have dismissed his efforts but to admit it, she needed the help. Katara turned to face him and put a hand on her hip.

'Okay. Thanks,' she said shortly, turning back to bend the water into her bowl. 'Can you get a campfire here?'

'No need,' he said, walking toward the pot and heating it up with firebending.

'Ah, good one,' Katara sniffed. 'Um. Cool,' she found talking to Zuko lately proving to be highly difficult. She was trying not to be cruel, whilst trying to keep a careful boundary between them.

Katara collected all the vegetables and meat that she could find next to the boiling water, and began to slice them with a sharp knife of ice. She didn't touch the ice; she merely commanded it with bending. Katara hadn't noticed Zuko staring at her until she had nearly finished.

'What?' She asked, snapping him back to reality. He shook his head as if waking up from a daze.

'Nothing,' Zuko murmured, concentrating on heating the water.

They sat in silence whilst Katara continued chopping vegetables. She wondered why he remained sat with her, when he could just as easily set a fire and be done with it. Katara didn't ask him why, though.

Once she had cut them all, she threw them into the pot to boil and dusted her hands off. She stood to join the group and noticed that Zuko didn't stand to join her. She turned to look at him.

'Aren't you coming?' Katara asked, confused.

'Who, me?' He asked stupidly. Katara snorted.

'Yes, you. Who else?'

'Oh, right,' he mumbled, looking as if it only just recently made sense to join her. He lit a fire beneath the pot and sprung to his feet. 'It's all just a shock, you know,' he said quietly. Katara nodded.

'I know. But it's good! At least it won't be so quiet in this stupid temple,' Katara pointed out.

'That's true.'

Katara walked straight to her father and sat with him, putting her tired head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her comfortingly. Zuko sat next to Iroh, who was chatting to a pale-faced Toph.

'So you're the Avata-' Iroh corrected himself, 'Aang's earthbending teacher?'

'Sure am, Pops,' Toph said lazily. Katara grinned; Toph had obviously developed a soft spot for Iroh already.

Iroh cleared his throat loudly, attracting everyone's attention.

'I have some news for all of you,' he began, looking solemnly at Katara and Zuko, 'unfortunately, our stay is restricted. We will need to leave first thing in the morning to help with the efforts of reconquering Ba Sing Se.'

'What?' Katara huffed, leaning away from her father to look at him.

'The White Lotus need us,' Iroh expanded. Katara shook her head at him numbly. She had even noticed Zuko looking crestfallen at Iroh's disclosure.

'We need you!' Katara shouted, lurching up on her feet. She swung round to her father. 'The Fire Nation can't keep separating us!'

'Katara…' Hakoda started, standing and pulling her into his arms. 'We need to go, our duties lie elsewhere in this wretched war. You need to stay here and help Aang defeat the Firelord. We need to help the White Lotus take back Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King. I'm sorry... But it has to be this way.'

Despite herself, Katara nodded bravely and returned his embrace with a tight, brief hug.

'Okay,' she mumbled. They both sat again, and Hakoda brushed a strand of hair from her face with a reassuring smile. Everyone began to slowly speak up again, breaking the silence that had been cast over them all.

The chamber suddenly looked very different with the new abundance of people. Where it used to be empty and dull, it was now full of life and vibrant with different thrilled conversations. The campfire was larger as to tend for more people; it was more like a bonfire than anything else. The fire was so hot it felt like it was warming the entire temple. Shadows from the fire were amplified on the walls, making it look like more people had joined their group and painted the walls, flickering in harmony with the flames. It was hard not to appreciate the effect that fires could have. Katara smiled and apart from her outburst, she felt truly, undeniably happy.

* * *

><p>Katara couldn't quite believe how many moth eaten blankets there were in this temple. It had taken her ages to find half decent sheets that hadn't been completely mauled by insects, but she had done it, and she was handing blankets out to everyone in their rooms.<p>

She had covered nearly everyone, apart from Suki. Katara purposefully left Suki last because she hadn't yet emerged from Sokka's room, and Katara didn't want to walk in on something that she would never forget seeing.

With this in mind, Katara slowly sauntered toward Sokka's room and knocked lightly on the door. When there was no answer, she took a deep breath and opened the door careful to not make any noise. Katara stopped when she heard crying. She poked her head around the door and saw Sokka burying his head in Suki's lap with his arms wrapped around her waist, sobbing. Suki was crying too, cradling his head in her arms.

Katara couldn't bear to interrupt them, so tossed the blankets inside the room gently. She shut the door and bit her lip, composing herself. She had never seen Sokka cry. Not like that, anyway.

She made her way to her room, which were only a few doors down. Katara thought she heard a muffled yell, but dismissed it as her mind playing tricks on her- until she heard it again. It grew louder as Katara neared it, her pace quickening. She located the sound from Zuko's room and threw herself into it, finding him pale as a ghost, wrapped in his sheets and tossing violently around.

'No! Don't go,' Zuko mumbled in his sleep, thrashing back and forth. 'Please!' He shouted. Katara ran to his bedside and shook him awake, frightened that he would wake someone.

'Shh, Zuko!' Katara hissed, grabbing his upper arms and squeezing them. 'It's just a dream,' she said more softly. He jolted awake, sitting up and taking a deep breath. Zuko's eyes found Katara and his terrified expression dimmed into his default frown. 'This is kinda like the other night,' Katara said before she could stop herself. She sucked air past her teeth, irritated at herself for bringing it up.

'You remember,' Zuko said, pushing his hair out of his face and turning his body to face her. He was only wearing pants, and Katara wondered why she felt uncomfortable with his bareness.

'Yeah, well. I can't really remember what you said,' Katara lied, trying to avoid the conversation.

'I was saying how our spirit identities linked together, and that it was strange,' Zuko said, unwilling to let it go. It seemed as if he was adamant she knew. Katara was glad of the dark setting, it concealed her blush.

'Well, ha, yeah,' she spluttered awkwardly, 'coincidences! What the universe likes to do for fun,'

'Mm,' Zuko replied, staring into her eyes. Katara remained for a few seconds, just looking back at him. She shook her head and stood up, breaking the lengthy silence with an exaggerated sigh.

'Well I'd better get going,' she said briskly, turning to leave his room. Katara held back the squeak of surprise in her throat as she felt his hand wrap around hers.

'Wait,' Zuko said, pulling her back gently. Katara took her hand away from his but turned back to him.

'What is it?' Katara asked, scratching her head.

'I-uh,' Zuko stuttered, 'oh, forget it, it's nothing,' Katara frowned.

'Was it your dream? Do you want to talk about it?' Katara asked. She couldn't help but think she said these words too often. But it was usually to Aang, not Zuko.

'It was about my mother,' he blurted out, as if it was a great relief to get it off his chest. Katara perched on the end of his bed. 'I think she's still alive.'

Katara felt confusion and hurt carve itself on her face. She nearly jumped up and left the room right there and then. Zuko had told her that her mother was dead, or at least implied it. _Was that another lie? Another little hateful ploy? _Katara thought spitefully. Zuko seemed to sense what she was thinking and reached for her.

'I didn't lie to you, I truly thought she was dead when we spoke... My fa-' Zuko paused, 'Ozai told me that she had been banished, not murdered.'

'Oh,' Katara said breathlessly. She was jealous. There was no denying that- Katara wished more than anything that her mother could be alive. Zuko's eyes darted across her face.

'Do you remember anything about the day your mother was taken?' Zuko asked, 'any details of the ships?'

'I-' Katara was completely taken aback by his question. She traced her mind back to the day that poisoned her dreams. Katara had tried so much to block it from her memory, yet completely preserve it. It was her most hated memory, but it was the last she ever had of her mother. 'Sea ravens on the flags,' Katara saw the black print of sea ravens on the blood red flags. She could almost taste the salty breeze, feel the ash pepper her hair, hear the crunch of the ice beneath her feet. Hear the screams of her people; see the mixed blood of Fire Nation and Water Tribe stained on the snow... 'No,' Katara breathed. 'It's too painful.'

'Okay, I understand...' Zuko murmured. Katara looked at him and fought the urge to tell him that no, as a matter of fact he didn't understand and he never would. 'I think I know how we can find them. We could find the man who killed your mother.'

Katara furrowed her brows. She wanted to accept his offer. She wanted to find the man who stole her childhood and end him before he had the chance to beg for his worthless life. But there was something stopping her. Something in the back of her mind telling her that she had other responsibilities. The image of Sokka curled up in Suki's lap spiralled back to her. The voice of her father telling her that they would be leaving in the morning. Leaving her behind _again_.

'I can't,' she found herself saying. 'I have other responsibilities. My dad's leaving in the morning. I can't leave Sokka, too.'

'Okay,' Zuko reached forward and put a hand on her shoulder. 'Whenever you want to, I'll be here.'

Katara nodded and gave him a curt smile before standing up and going to her own room.

She flopped on the bed and curled under the covers, letting memories of the day's events -both good and bad- sink away.

* * *

><p><em>Katara is standing in a grassy clearing surrounded by a burning forest, she can feel the heat from the flaming trees emanating on her face. She spins around, trying to locate a way to escape and feels a pair of arms snake around her waist. She feels lips press to her ear and words hiss from a raspy, familiar voice.<em>

_'Whenever you want to, I'll be here. You made this possible, without your trust, the Avatar would probably still be alive…' She's heard the voice before; it's the same voice that taunted her in the North Pole at the Spirit Oasis. The voice must belong to Prince Zuko._

_A hand clinches Katara's chin and turns it toward her a woman who lies on the ground, her face warped with unbelievable agony. The Fire Prince pushes Katara toward the figure with a mighty laugh. It takes Katara a while to realise that the woman is her mother, swaddled in a pool of blood._

Katara awoke from her dream with a blood-curdling scream.

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><p><em><strong>Poor Katara. I feel for her, I really do. Hehe, I can imagine Zuko as the kinda guy who would skulk around in the dark and tell people his deepest secrets. Well, maybe I should elaborate. Zuko only told Katara that because he wanted her to trust him. If that wasn't already obvious, it is now.<strong>_

_**Also, I have noticed that there is an awful lot more dialogue in the chapters than imagery compared to the first chapters, do you prefer it as it is now or before? Or a mix of both?  
>Very short next chapter. I wanted it in Zuko's POV. You'll see why.<br>Thanks for reviewing!**_


	12. Nightmares

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 12: Nightmares<p>

Zuko was roused from his sleep with a scream buzzing in his ears. He sat up violently and lurched from his bed, abandoning his other clothes. He sprinted toward Katara's room, terrified at the prospect of bursting in and finding Azula with her claws around Katara's neck.

He was running so frantically he nearly careened into Sokka and Aang's backsides, which were standing in front of a cowering Katara. She was tangled in her bed sheets, her hair everywhere, shivering as if she were in the South Pole. Zuko paused by the doorframe and leant against it, solaced in the cover the darkness offered.

'Katara, what happened?' Toph panted in a braced stance. Strong and sturdy, like a rock.

'Nightmares,' Zuko said forebodingly, not accepting their gazes but keeping his eyes on Katara. She looked up at him and horror instantly etched itself across her face. He felt his heart sink.

'Yeah, about you showing me my dead mother!' Katara shrieked, pointing an it's-all-your-fault finger at him.

Zuko felt the hurt hone in on him almost instantly. It was more normal to feel angry for Zuko; it was sort of his go-to emotion. Rage erupted throughout his body and he left, storming back to his room. He was so confused as to what he was hurt about. He wondered if it was that he had tried to be kind to Katara, only to be constantly rejected. He thought that they had a breakthrough earlier, but obviously not. He groaned aloud and aimed a fierce punch to the wall. It collided and burst into flames. He didn't want anyone to see him, they wouldn't understand. Nobody ever understood.

It was all enough to make him angry, that it was. But why did it _hurt?_ Zuko heard Katara scream for the rest of them to get out, and then the sound of feet dragging unwillingly along the floor.

'Leave her alone,' Zuko heard Sokka tell the rest of them, 'she's better left alone.'

Zuko couldn't help but think Sokka was wrong in what he said. Although it may seem like she would be better off alone; in all honesty that's probably what she wanted the least. Zuko knew that when he faced the Earth Kingdom alone, –and even though he would never admit it- all that he really wanted was to be coveted by his uncle.

With his room being so close to Katara's, he heard her muffled sobs for the longest hour of his life. It got to the point where he couldn't stand it any longer, and marched to her room. He wavered outside the door, gathering his courage. _She need's someone, and that has to be you. You understand. You would have killed to have someone wrap their arms around you and tell you it was all going to be alright. _He repeated these words in his head to encourage him.

Zuko pushed the door open and took two steps inside. He cleared his throat and was greeted with red tinged eyes and damp cheeks.

'I'm sorry,' she whispered, hugging her knees tighter to her body. And that was it, that was all and _more_ that Zuko had wanted to hear since he joined their group. Zuko moved toward Katara and sat on her bed, unfolding her tense body and pulling into him.

'Me too,' he murmured.

Zuko felt strange- he wondered why she was letting _him_ of all people comfort her. Katara had dismissed Aang, who Zuko thought was her boyfriend. He wondered if holding her like that was unnecessary. But as she let out a breath of air and sunk into him, pressing her cheek against his chest, Zuko knew that it was merely comfort. He didn't know how else to comfort her than just holding onto her and stroking her hair. It was similar to how his mother supported him in childhood. Zuko was useless with words, too.

She shook with sobs that couldn't even produce tears. Zuko tucked her head under his chin and he felt her hands clutch at his chest, her fingers resting limply against his skin. He began to rock her to sleep, trying to ignore the fact his heart was beating a mile a minute.

'Can... You tell me about your mother?' She murmured gently. Zuko was surprised she had asked when he told next to nobody about his mother- when he found himself telling Katara, a girl who was supposed to hate him with enough passion to fire a thousand suns, he was shocked that he complied. All that he knew was; she was easy to talk to.

So he told her, he told her about his scar, where it came from, why his mother left, why he was banished… After a while, Zuko heard Katara's breathing even and her body stopped shaking. Zuko wondered if she had heard half of what he was saying, but he didn't mind too much.

He tilted her head back gently and saw that her eyes were shut and her mouth slightly pouted. She looked younger when she was asleep, as if the weight of the world hadn't ever fazed her. He never thought about the waterbender's attractiveness, what with the need to capture the Avatar and his devotion to Mai, he merely stamped her as 'good looking' and was done with it. But really, she was so much more than that. She was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever laid eyes upon.

Careful not to wake her, Zuko lay her body down and tucked the sheets up her shoulders. He pushed a stray strand of hair from her face and paused.

'Sweet dreams, Katara.'


	13. Decisions

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 13: Decisions<p>

Katara woke late the next morning wrapped up in her sheets. She sat up slowly and looked around her, half expecting to find Zuko collapsed in the corner. What she found was less inviting, a cold mass of empty room. Katara stifled the disappointment she felt when she found it. Nonetheless, she stood and got changed, preparing herself for the day ahead of her.

Zuko had comforted her. He had pretty much rocked her to sleep. He had told her about his mother, and his father… She was surprised when she didn't find it entirely unbelievable.

Katara made her way to the main chamber, growing increasingly worried that she couldn't hear any more than three voices. Her fears were addressed when she found the chamber empty apart from Sokka, Suki, Zuko, Toph, Smellerbee, Longshot and Aang sat in a circle. She opened her mouth to speak but Sokka interrupted her.

'They've left,' he said sadly. Katara may have been oversensitive when she felt a pang of betrayal against her father. She couldn't help but feel resentful toward him after not even waiting to say goodbye, or waking her up himself.

'Oh,' she hissed. She didn't mean to seem harsh, so she plastered on a cheery grin and a happy voice, 'we need supplies.'

'We got them earlier,' Aang replied, smiling at her. 'Come on, sit with us.'

Katara sat next to Aang and scooped herself some food from a heavenly smelling clay pot.

'Great! Who made breakfast?' Katara asked, enthralled that she got the bonus of a break this morning. Suki put her hand up somewhat apologetically. Katara took a hearty swig. 'It's delicious!'

She looked up at Zuko and swore she saw a faint red tint in his cheeks. He was having a conversation with Smellerbee and Longshot. Katara could only wonder what they were talking about.

'Yeesh, I can't wait until after the war,' Toph said stretching. 'When it ends, I'm gonna eat my weight in moon peaches and egg custard tart.'

'I'm gonna buy a house and fill it with pickled fish and tentacle soup,' Sokka said, his eyes suddenly looking huge and wanting. Katara and Aang laughed at him.

'Water Tribe food is the worst…' Aang teased. Katara gasped and gave him a quick jab in the ribs.

'It is not!' She complained.

'We should focus on actually winning, first,' Zuko interjected. Katara grimaced. 'I'm just saying,' he said after seeing her expression. 'It's gonna take more than just taking out Ozai. After years of war where the Fire Nation have never been the victims of anything and being told to believe that the Fire Nation was superior, some won't just back down.'

'Surely not everyone in the Fire Nation is bad,' Katara said, reminded of the little Fire Nation boy in the fishing village. Zuko nodded in agreement.

'You're right, they aren't. Some of them are just scared and want the war to end so they can have their family members return safely. Hopefully, when Aang finishes Ozai,' he paused, 'however he may decide to end him, the Nation will see that they're the ones in the wrong,' Zuko finished. Sokka snorted.

'And if they don't they'll be in mercy to the rest of the world.'

'I wouldn't be so sure, Sokka. Don't underestimate the Fire Nation. They've started one war, what's another to them?' Aang probed. Sokka almost growled.

'A big mistake is what it would be,' he said sourly, grabbing Suki's hand. There was a short, tense silence in the chamber.

'Anyway, Aang,' Zuko said to Aang. 'You'll need to read The Book of Tian Yao soon, to finally know what to do about my father.'

Aang nodded. 'I'll read it tomorrow. I think I'm ready,' he stopped and looked at Katara. 'But I have to do something first. Katara, can I talk to you?' Aang asked politely. Katara bit her lip. She guessed what was coming and nearly sighed, Katara hated this sort of confrontation. _Say no, say no, say no!_

'Yep,' Katara said. _Nice one Katara,_ she scolded herself.

Aang led Katara to the edge of the temple and sat on the side with crossed legs. He motioned Katara to join him so she sat next to him. Aang took a deep breath and begun.

'I've liked you for a while now, well, more than liked...' Aang sighed, collecting himself. 'There's no other way to say this than… I love you.'

Katara felt her cheeks heat and she looked away from him, clenching stones from the crumbling temple side underneath her hands.

'And I've loved you for a long time. Ever since I laid eyes on you, actually,' Aang said. 'Katara, please say something. I thought that by now we'd be together... But we're not-'

'I'm just a bit confused at the moment,' Katara admitted, she had the war in mind for the most half. For the other, she was stilted in her feelings. She couldn't help but feel it was always Aang needing her, and not the other way around. She knew it sounded selfish- but sometimes Katara wanted to be the one looked after, instead of the other way round. Among all of those things; Katara didn't want to be labelled anything other than herself at the moment. As the Avatar's waterbending teacher, that luxury was already stripped.

'How long do you need?' Aang asked.

'What..?'

'How long do you need to be sure?' He pressed, leaning toward her and trying to catch her gaze. Katara's brows knitted together and she crunched fragile, dusty stones in her palms. She looked to the plummet below them. _I could be dead in a second._ _Everything is so __**fragile**_. Katara thought.

'Aang,' Katara said clearly. 'Maybe it's wrong to say this; I really wish that I could feel the same way, but I can't... Aang, you're an amazing person and I know that one day you'll find the right girl but...'

'It's not you,' he said curtly.

'It's not me,' she whispered back. 'You're like a brother...'

'URGH!' Aang exploded.

Katara flinched away from him as he leapt off the side of the temple, bringing one of the buildings opposite down with earthbending and sending it to the misty plummet below them. He jumped back at her.

'A brother… That's all I'll ever be, isn't it?' Aang demanded. Katara stared at him in shock, not uttering a word. 'ISN'T IT?'

'I'm sorry…' Katara squeaked.

'Don't give me pity! I don't need pity!' He yelled in response.

'Twinkletoes, what did you do?' Toph shouted from behind them. Aang gave Katara one last look and then stormed away from her. She didn't watch him leave. She merely remained sat on the side of the temple.

Thoughts poisoned her mind, she wondered if she had just lost her best friend. Katara and Aang hadn't been quite the same since Ember Island. That trip sort of tore their group apart. Despite that incident, she always treated him equally, looked after him, and most importantly loved him. Unfortunately, it wasn't the type of love that Aang desired. So they hit a wall. A cold, hard, brutal wall. Katara didn't know how long she had been immobilised until she heard Zuko's voice.

'So… You and Aang,' Zuko mentioned.

'Me and Aang? What me and Aang?' Katara asked, turning to look at him and putting her hands on her hips.

'Uh, you two are together, right?' Zuko coughed. 'That's why he just walked into the forest angrily, I assume? You know, smashing temples, breathing fire, the usual,' Zuko sat down beside her, swinging his legs over the edge. Katara's face couldn't have looked more horrified.

'Spirits, no! Aang... We're friends,' Katara corrected. 'And I don't know what your relationships are like, Zuko. But I tend to avoid the whole 'smashing temples' thing wherever possible,' Zuko's mouth tugged up at the corners slightly.

'Oh. Sorry,' another cough, 'it's just... Never mind,' Zuko blushed. Katara squinted at him.

'What were you going to say Zuko?' She nudged his arm gently, offering a smile. Zuko looked up at her, the former redness in his cheeks dimming. His eyes bored into hers and the faint smile was now a pursed line.

'In Ba Sing Se he looked at me like I was-' he paused; it was Katara's turn to blush now.

She and Zuko didn't talk about Ba Sing Se. Probably because it was unbearably awkward to talk about, partly because it was unnecessary, but mostly because it was a defining moment in their relationship that led Katara to despise him. It wasn't only that, either.

Katara hadn't really thought about it since he betrayed them, but when he brought it up in the forest the other day... She felt genuinely guilty about saying she would heal his scar, and then just abandoning him when Aang turned up.

She remembered the look of utter disappointment on his face when she left... He wouldn't even meet her gaze. She swallowed.

'How did he look at you?'

'Like he had caught me stealing Appa, or something,' Zuko said shortly.

Katara got the feeling that wasn't what he wanted to say to her, but she knew she wasn't going to get him to talk, either. Katara's eyebrow twitched.

'Thanks for comparing me to Appa, Zuko,' Katara scoffed. Zuko's eyes widened.

'No! That's not what I meant!' Zuko panicked. Katara supressed a smile.

'Then what did you mean, other than me suddenly resembling a sky bison? Am I really that fat?' She teased, grabbing the little skin that there was on her stomach. Zuko flushed and began twiddling his thumbs.

'No! It's just that- Aang loves Appa more than anything right? I didn't- you're not... I, uh...' Zuko stuttered, turning away from her to hide the red in his entire face, it had even stained his throat. Katara poked him in the ribs.

'Lighten up, I'm only teasing...' Katara said with a laugh in her voice. Zuko murmured something inaudible. 'Huh?' Katara asked. Zuko turned his face slightly to look out over the edge of the temple their feet dangled over.

Katara looked at his face and saw the outline of what his face could have been if she had healed him in Ba Sing Se. She closed her eyes, she mustn't let herself think like that, she mustn't think 'what could of been', or it would eat her up inside. Thinking like that had nearly broken her the other day in the forest. Regardless of his scar, Katara thought he was still very handso- Katara stopped her thoughts and shook her head, as to rid the notions.

'I'm not with Aang... If there were a moment that I ever did have feelings for him, they all went when he said something to me that I just couldn't forgive...' her voice sounded smaller than she had intended. Katara felt a warm hand wrap around her shoulder.

'Hey. Sorry for bringing it up,' Zuko said in a similar volume. His hand left her shoulder quicker than she expected, placing it in the spot in-between them.

Her shoulder felt naked when he took his hand away, colder. Katara looked at his now soft features, his small smile, gentle eyes... She looked at his ragged red scar and it suddenly didn't look like it should be there. He no longer looked like a fearsome firebender who was willing to sacrifice lives for what he desired- he looked like a lost boy who needed no more than someone to rely on.

After the few days that had past, all of the events that had occurred came to Katara. She felt like all of the sudden, she had a decent understanding of him. Katara put her hand on his, and returned his smile with one of her own.

'Zuko, you have nothing to be sorry for.'

She swung her legs back on the side of the temple, stood up, and brushed her skirts off even though they weren't particularly dirty.

She walked away from him knowing that finally, Zuko was forgiven.

* * *

><p>Aang and Toph had disappeared until late into night. When they returned, Aang approached Katara and apologised. She accepted, of course. He turned to walk away from her with a sad look in his eyes. Katara quickly stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, glad when she felt his around her waist in response. Katara squeezed him in her grasp and when they parted they gave each other warm smiles.<p>

'I've missed you,' Katara said sweetly. Aang nodded, his eyebrows were tilted and for one moment Katara thought that he was going to cry.

'I've missed you too.'

Katara put a hand on his cheek and exhaled heavily, feeling as though some dreaded weight had finally been lifted.

She went back to her seat next to Zuko, offering Toph and Aang some food. They took the offer and had seconds,_ and thirds. _

'Where have you two been all day?' Sokka asked suspiciously. Katara saw Aang blush and Toph smirk. A wad of earth raised below Sokka, raising him two feet upward. He yelped and rubbed his butt, scowling at Toph.

'Don't be so nosy Snoozles,' Toph said silkily. Katara scoffed at her.

'Yeah, because you respect people's privacy _so_well,' Katara said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Toph frowned at her and opened her mouth to speak, but refrained for some reason.

'I like to use my talents to their full potential. Especially snooping in on peoples tell-tale heartbeats,' she replied lazily, adding a quick sneer at the end of her sentence. 'Yours is exceptionally erratic lately, Sugar Queen.'

'Quit it, Toph,' Katara said sternly. She wasn't a fool, she knew when her heartbeat thumped and when it only pottered. Toph shrugged.

'Guys, do you have to do that in front of us all?' Smellerbee said sounding slightly disgusted. Katara raised her gaze to see Sokka and Suki breaking away from a kiss. Suki blushed slightly.

'Sorry,' she murmured, giggling as she was pulled into Sokka's lap. Their closeness reminded Katara of the night before. She was suddenly very tempted herself to climb into Zuko's lap.

'So, Aang,' Katara said a little breathlessly. The very_ idea_ of such an action overwhelmed her pride. 'When are you opening The Book of Danger Days? Or whatever it is.'

'Tomorrow,' he said definitively. 'And it's The Book of Tian Yao, and it means The Book of Demon Days.'

'Right,' she answered, draining the last of her soup. 'I'm going to bed. Good night everyone,' Katara said, her mind reeling with everything. She could already feel the anxiety about the book unravelling her.

'Really? It's so early!' Suki exclaimed. She sounded as if she was trying to balance a mixture of urging Katara to stay, and sounding surprised at her haste to be detached from their little group. Suki knew. She must. How was it that boys were so oblivious about girl's feelings yet girls were always so dead on?

'It is early for bed Katara,' Toph sneered.

'I'm tired. What with all this drama. Night,' Katara gave Suki a fleeting rueful smile, Toph a small scowl and traipsed to her room.

She curled up on her bed and slipped under the covers, gently removing the clothes from her worn body. As she shimmied under the sheets the realised how cold it was. The night before, she was wrapped in Zuko's warmth. As a firebender, he was obviously going to be warm but Katara had no idea how relieving it would feel. So many nights had passed where she had stayed in her room alone and endured the winds that went straight through her bones and froze her to the core. It wasn't like the South Pole where the cold just hung in the air, the winds were biting but expected. No, the winds in the temple caught her off guard in the otherwise blistering summer heat. Katara snuggled down and wished she could have the ability to control her temperature.

Secretly, she wished that Zuko would pad into her room and fill it with radiant warmth. But that wasn't going to happen. If she really wanted it to happen, then she was going to have to take some action.

Katara stayed awake until she heard Zuko's bedroom door shut. When it did, she tiptoed to his room and poked her head in the door.

'Zuko?' She asked into the darkness. If Toph was stood next to her, she would probably think Katara was about to have a heart attack at the rate it was going.

'Yes?' Zuko replied. Katara heard sheets ruffle and almost felt his heat from where she was stood.

'Meet me in my room,' Katara whispered, making sure only Zuko could hear. She crept back to her room before he could confirm or deny.

Katara got back into her bed and saw a dark silhouette fill her doorframe.

'What is it?' He asked soundly. Katara faltered, she hadn't thought about what she would say if he asked that. She didn't know why she assumed that he would stroll into her room and lay in her bed without a question.

'I had another nightmare,' she lied. Zuko walked into her room and sat on the end of her bed. Katara tried not to gasp in pleasure as she felt his heat envelope her.

'Do you want to hear another folklore?' He asked. Katara grinned.

'Yes please.'

Zuko cleared his throat, and made himself comfortable at the end of her bed, leaning against the wall.

'Let's see if I can remember it...' He said to himself. 'There was once a snake spirit called Bai Su Zehn. She longed to be a beautiful woman so she could inhabit the mortal world and find a lover, seeing as nobody in the spirit world could ever love an ugly snake like her. She meditated for years, practising the ability of taking form of another being. Finally, she managed it, and became a breathtakingly beautiful mortal woman.

'Bai Su Zehn was sent to the mortal world, and she was placed into a family who took her in. Even though she was hundreds of years old in her spirit form, in mortal form she was only a young girl. The family cared for her until she became of marrying age, and was married into the rich family of a Nobleman. After a full year of abuse and neglect from her wealthy, but cruel husband, Bai Su Zehn devised a plan to kill him. She knew the consequences if she was proven guilty for the murder, and she did not like them.

'Suddenly, she was struck by a brilliant idea. Bai Su Zehn planned to take her spirit form of a snake, and poison her husband with one lethal bite. So she did, and nobody ever found out that it was her. Bai Su Zehn hadn't considered the possibilities of her spirit form until she inherited all of her husband's riches as a widow. Years passed, and Bai Su Zehn met a man on a rainy day. As soon as their eyes met they shared an instant connection and Bai Su Zehn knew she had finally found her lover. They got married, and lived five long happy years.

'Bai Su Zehn was out one night purchasing her husband an anniversary gift when she saw her lover in the light of several shining sconces. She didn't only see her husband, but the curved outline of a woman who far exceeded Bai Su Zehn's beauty. Heartbroken and wracked with fury, Bai Su Zehn instantly changed into a snake and bit her husband on the ankle, injecting every ounce of poison into him. Her husband fell to the floor and wroth in agony. The woman he was with screamed and fell to her knees, clasping the man's face in her hands. Bai Su Zehn watched in twisted pleasure.

"Please," the man gasped, "tell my wife that I love her."

'Stunned and stricken with guilt Bai Su Zehn turned back into a mortal right in front of the pair and rushed to her husband's side, pulling his twitching body to hers.

"My husband! I'm so sorry, for I thought you were a liar and a cheater!" Bai Su Zehn said, sobbing as she watched her husband slip away from her.

"It's alright, my love. I will always love you, despite what you have done to me..." Her husband trailed off, his eyes slowly closing and his body finally limping. Bai Su Zehn was then condemned to live in a life where she grieved for her husband every day.'

'Wow. Was that story to teach women the destruction of love?' Katara asked intently, tugging the sheets up to her neck.

'Um, no. It was to teach women to never disobey their husbands or they would spend the rest of their lives in agony,' he rolled his eyes, 'I never liked that story…' Zuko hitched his knee under his chin.

'Then why do you know it so well?' Katara probed, sitting up. Zuko looked at her and her heart automatically sped up.

'Because my father would tell my mother to tell us that folklore,' he looked down, 'and she always told it with such spite,' Zuko growled under his breath. Katara leant even closer and grabbed Zuko's chin in her thumb and forefinger, turning him to face her.

'You'll find her Zuko. I know you, you never give up,' Katara whispered. She assessed how close they were and came to the conclusion; _very._ Katara licked her lips as she felt his warm breaths on her mouth. She found her throat tightening, and her heart urged her to lean forward whilst her brain forced her back. Zuko inched forward ever so slightly, and Katara felt suddenly obligated to finish her sentence. 'That's what you are Zuko, someone who keeps fighting even when things get hard.'

'What?' Zuko asked aloud leaning away from her. Katara frowned.

'What's the matter?' She asked, hugging her arms.

'It's just… That's what my mother used to say to me. Exactly that.'

'Oh,' she whispered, feeling a little put out by the situation. She didn't quite know what to say.

'Are you okay to sleep now?' Zuko asked softly, tactically changing the conversation. Katara desperately didn't want him to leave. She wasn't sure if it was because of his heat, or just his presence. She was pretty sure if there was anything romantic between them, Zuko would be denying it with every fibre of his soul. His pride just couldn't take it.

'Maybe you could just... stay?' Katara suggested. 'I mean, for the night,' she didn't welcome the lengthy silence that followed her suggestion.

Katara didn't like the silence. Especially when it was accompanied by darkness. Darkness meant that there was a place for evil to lurk, nightmares seemed to thrive in the darkness. It was solitary in the darkness and the silence. It was terrifying. Katara raised the blanket on one side of the bed for Zuko, inviting him. He wavered, as if going it over in his mind.

'Come on Zuko, Sokka doesn't have to know,' Katara murmured. Even though it was a shot in the dark, it seemed to work. Zuko clambered beside her and pulled the sheets over his body. Katara lay down and debated which position would be the least... romantic. She seriously considered burying her head in his chest again, and just inhaling his scent. He had a unique smell; it was the smell of bonfires and the fresh scent of carved woodland. Katara dismissed the idea and turned her back to him. 'Thank you,' she whispered.

'Can I ask you something?' He asked, patting her hair down and tucking it behind her ear. She ignored the goose bumps on her arms.

'Yes?'

'Why am I really in your room?' He asked, his rasping voice persuading her to shuffle closer to him.

'Because when you're here I don't have nightmares,' Katara said truthfully. When Zuko had been with her, Katara had the most incredible sleep she had since... she couldn't even remember when. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her tighter. Katara sighed in relief, he was so incredibly _warm._'And you're super warm,' she giggled.

'Ah, so that's it...' Zuko teased, breathing the words down her neck. Katara bit her lip. She wanted it all to feel wrong but it felt too right. Too impossibly, inexplicably right.

'Hush up Sparky, Sugar Queen needs her beauty sleep.'

Zuko chuckled and Katara let herself happily drift into slumber.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Action next chapter, I promise! Although I have enjoyed writing the... calmer sections.<em>**


	14. Demons Prevail

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

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><p>Chapter 14: Demons Prevail<p>

Sokka had always had a natural curiosity. Be it licking honey off the walls of a cave in a desert or drinking cactus juice. Admittedly, Sokka had enjoyed the latter the most.

This profound curiosity was what persuaded him to gaze over Aang's shoulder and read the writing in the book that everyone had been stressing over.

Although, Sokka was intrigued and slightly anxious when he saw something that he didn't think was possible. His eyes glazed over the scripture that Aang was reading and felt -yes felt, not saw- the words on the page melt together like snow on warm skin. The appearance of it was almost indescribable. If Toph had asked him to put what he saw into words, he would have found himself unable to speak. It seemed as if the words were being crafted into his soul. For a brief moment, he thought he saw his father murdering Fire Nation soldiers. Sokka winced his eyes shut, trying to ignore the cruel visions.

And when he reopened them, he saw that there _were_words. As he squinted and demanded his eyes to make sense of the scripture before him, Sokka saw four words that stood out like a sore thumb and willed his blood to run cold.

'Katara...' Sokka uttered, realisation hitting him with a mighty thwack to the cranium, Aang had smashed his head with a heavy rock fist. 'RUN, KATATA RUN!' Sokka screamed, leaping up to try and wrestle Aang to the floor.

Horror barely registered on his features when he saw Aang's tattoos glowing- but they were different. Sokka's mind was racing, his head was throbbing and he didn't know if what he was seeing was a hallucination or the real deal. Aang's tattoos were _black._

Sokka's eyes fell on Katara who was stock-still, frozen in place, a rabbit in the headlights. _'Protect Katara,'_Sokka heard his father say. Sokka lurched forward and although he knew it was futile, wrapped his arms around Aang's neck.

Aang grabbed Sokka's arms and threw him over his head into the floor, the concrete beneath him shattering as he made contact with the harsh, unrelenting ground. Sokka heard the sound of not only smashing concrete but the sickly crunch of misplaced bones. Aang rose ten feet in the sky. He felt a yell leave his throat and watched in hopeless dismay as Aang shot a thunderous bolt of lightning at Katara.

'NO!' Sokka and Toph shouted in unison. The silvery blue streaks crackled toward Katara's screams and were hastily redirected by Zuko. Relief swooned over Sokka, and he tried feebly to stand. He felt Suki beside him, slinging an arm around her neck and pulling him back.

'Suki! Get out of here!' He urged, trying to push her away. Suki shook her head resolutely.

'No!' Was all that Suki replied. All that Sokka could do was watch helplessly whilst Zuko tried to defend _his_ baby sister.

'What's going on?' Smellerbee yelled from behind them.

'Aang's gone insane!' Suki yelled back.

'No!' Sokka shouted, refusing to acknowledge that it was _Aang_who was doing this. 'The demons have taken over him; he's trying to kill Katara! You need to hide!' Smellerbee and Longshot exchanged a horrified glance before nodding at Sokka and disappearing into the temple.

The demon in Aang was relentless; he shot an overwhelming blast of fire that looked shockingly like a myriad of different, screaming faces twisting and morphing into each other. Zuko expertly divided to save Katara who was cowering behind the Fire Prince. Aang was quick to retaliate, ripping every single drop of water from the fountain and sending a huge torrent of water toward them, Zuko was barely able to respond when Katara broke from behind him and bent it all into harmless specks of snow, it seemed to buy them a little time as Aang tried to look past the screen of white and locate his victim. Sokka felt a choked plea of '_RUN!' _stuckinhis throat. Zuko pushed Katara behind him.

'Stay behind me!' He urged, _'please.'_

Katara complied, and ducked behind him one more. Sokka couldn't take it- why weren't they running? By the looks of it, Aang was fully intent on murdering them all. They needed a diversion; Sokka knew that Katara would be safe in Zuko's hands, so they needed into the forest- and quick.

'GET HER OUT OF HERE ZUKO! LEAVE!' He screamed again, desperate for his sister to be safe. Zuko stood as stubbornly as a rock. Although his stance was stony and unbreakable, his expression seemed doubtful and hesitant. He wanted to go but he _needed_a distraction...

An earthbending move was issued, hundreds of jagged rocks protruded from the floor in a single deathly row, quickly advancing on Zuko and Katara. There was little that the water and firebender could do about this attack. Sokka clenched his eyes and shied away from what he feared to see and Toph appeared from the ground in front of the pair, reflecting the attack. Sokka had never been so happy to see the kid. Zuko took his chance and grabbed Katara's hand, sprinting toward the Fire Nation forest.

'AANG! AANG LISTEN TO ME! STOP, WE'RE YOUR FRIENDS, PLEASE!' She deflected all of his attacks on the fleeing teenagers. Sokka had to admit; she was an admirable bender.

'The waterbender needs to die. She is a distraction to the demise of the Firelord,' Aang said in a thousand different voices, his eyes as black as his tattoos. They no longer looked like the soulful eyes of a familiar airbender, rather the meaningless, doomed eyes of a murderer. Two gaping black holes of nothingness.

'AANG! YOU'RE IN THERE, LISTEN TO ME!' Toph screamed. Sokka watched in awe as Aang's black glowing tattoos flickered but remained. 'You don't need to kill anyone! YOU DON'T WANT TO! You never wanted to! You love Katara,' she stuttered.

If Sokka didn't know any better, he would have thought Toph was crying.

'You- You can't KILL her! I won't let you!' She yelled, shooting herself toward Aang on a jab of rock. He didn't move as she took his hand in hers and held the side of his face with one hand. 'We're so different. You always go out of your way to harm nothing, and,' she chuckled, 'I go out of my way to harm people. I need you Aang, you're my opposite.'

Tears in fact, _did_ run down her pale face. 'My Yang.'

She kissed his lips very gently and his tattoos completely dimmed back to their original pale blue. The life left his grey eyes and he fell to the floor to be caught and cradled by Toph. She placed her hand over his heart for a few silent seconds, and looked toward an utterly stunned, half broken Sokka.

'Sokka, is he dead?'


	15. Into the Dark

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

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><p><em><strong>I'll follow you into the dark, no blinding lights or tunnels to gates of white, just our hands clasped so tight. If there's no-one beside you when your soul embarks, I'll follow you into the dark.<strong>_

Chapter 15: Into the Dark

Zuko and Katara ran hand in hand until it felt like their lungs were going to combust. The humidity of the forest didn't aid the cause, and nor did the fact Zuko had been almost dragging Katara the entire way. They collapsed on the ground and just recovered from their escape, their ordeal. Aang had tried to kill Katara. Zuko turned his head to look at her and saw just the rise and fall of her chest- her expression unreadable.

When Zuko had gathered at least a meagre amount of energy, he staggered to his feet and offered a hand to Katara, which she stared for a while before accepting. He tilted his head at her and Katara looked unwaveringly into his eyes.

'We should find somewhere to sleep.'

'What did that book say, Zuko?' Katara demanded, clutching a hand around his arm.

Zuko avoided her gaze. She tried to pull him closer, but just ended up stumbling toward him as his stance was too steady to break. He could feel her breath on his neck, she was so close. Zuko looked down to meet her ocean eyes and felt heavy breaths tickle his chin. His eyes found hers, and when he met her scowl it felt like she hated him again. He didn't like it.

_'What did the book say?'_

Zuko sighed, he knew he would have to tell her, or she'd never forgive him.

'It's hard to remember, when I started to read the scripture all the words started blurring together. It was like I was reading it, but being told a story in my head with all these different voices. I even thought I heard my mother's name...' Zuko paused as he tried to remember more of what the book said.

All he could picture was four words. Four dreaded words that stayed in his mind like carved in wood. 'All I can honestly remember was seeing the words "The waterbender must die".'

A look of intense horror spread across Katara's face, she let go of Zuko's arm and staggered away from him, gripping her hair in her hand. Without thinking, he went to clutch her hand but missed and grabbed her wrist instead, a vain attempt to be comforting.

'We needed to leave for Aang; it was the best thing to do- if he had killed you... He wouldn't be able to live with himself.'

'It's always for him, isn't it?' Katara sniffed, tears rolling down her cheeks as if they had been dying to escape for weeks. 'Whatever's best for Aang, do what Aang wants, I mean, damn,' she laughed at herself mockingly and snatched her wrist away from him. 'I'm just the Avatars girl! The mindless little girlfriend who does whatever the Avatar wants, whenever. Regardless of what she wants, how she feels!' Katara was shouting now. Zuko's heart felt like it was being wrenched in his chest. He didn't mean it like that. He reached for her again, but she didn't acknowledge it.

'I have to leave my brother, my friends, my hideout, all because _Aang needs it_,' she wiped her tears away with the ball of her hand, sobs shaking her voice, 'well what about what I want? What if I don't want to be labelled with something other than me? I don't want to have to be Aang's protector _all_ the time! I know that it sounds stupid, and selfish... But...' She sighed and bit her tongue. Zuko reached out to her again.

'But what..?' He asked softly, not brave enough to raise his voice any more than a whisper. Katara's eyebrows furrowed.

'You, you have Mai. The beautiful, mature, intelligent girl who I bet is just as elusive as you.'

'Katara... You have no _idea_-' Zuko started, his voice now trembling with emotion. His body resisted the unbearable urge to pull her into him, to hold onto her with every inch of his being and sink the hurt away.

'Then please,' she spat in a cynical voice, 'explain why I'm baring my soul to you and all you can say is-' she put on a pouting face and deepened her voice, 'you don't understand.'

She looked up at him with slanted eyebrows; her blue eyes intensified by the tears and the dimming sunlight. She was so beautiful. 'Zuko, I don't feel like that about Aang but _you_-'

And then she was wrapped into his warmth, his arms held her body like if he were to let go she would dissolve away into nothingness. Despite his own feelings that he was trying to push down and ignore, he couldn't hear her say those words. Because if she did, there was no turning back.

Her skin was cool. It wasn't cold or unpleasant; it was cool and fresh, like a soft ocean breeze on a hot summer's beach. He clutched her waist to him tighter, just letting all the feelings go, all the regret, the mistakes, the hate, the fear. They were in a bubble- and it shielded them from the feelings that they were too familiar with for their young age. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her hips fitted against his like pieces of a puzzle. They corresponded perfectly with each other; Ying and Yang, push and pull, water and fire. He buried his face into her shoulder and smelt the fresh scent of wiry hair that prickled his cheeks. He snaked his lips past her hair and gently placed them on her neck, feeling her skin shiver beneath this grip. His heart accelerated, he just kissed her. He actually kissed her.

'Zuko...' Katara said in a quaking voice, she moved her hands from her sides to stroke his face and realised what was going to happen unless he ripped himself away from her. So he took three wavering, reluctant steps back. Out of the bubble, out of the shield. The feelings flooded his blood once more and he gritted his teeth.

'This isn't right. We can't...' Zuko whispered, his fingers rising to his lips and covering them like a cage. Katara frowned at him.

'We can't what? What Zuko?' Katara yelled, throwing her arms out at her sides. Zuko flinched and shut his scowling eyes.

'WE CAN'T FEEL THIS WAY!' Zuko exploded, his breath exhaled fire as did his fists. He felt sick with what he was saying, he felt sicker when he saw Katara's hurt expression. Zuko wondered why he didn't just lie to her and tell her he felt nothing; it wouldn't hurt her that way. It would be embarrassing, but it wouldn't prolong the _hurt. _'It's not fair...'

Katara bit her wobbling lip. She didn't cry or fall into his arms and beg for him to love her. She only did what Katara did best; hug her arms and turn away.

Zuko heard her say something, but he wasn't sure exactly what. She began to walk away. He couldn't bring himself to stop her. All that he could do was let his knees buckle underneath him and try not to hit the ground too hard.

He didn't mean that Katara wasn't important when he said that about Aang. Zuko knew how protective she was over the Avatar, and thought that by saying that he would make her understand the severity of their situation. But, for some reason, it made her crack.

Katara was always so good at composing herself, keeping control. When she broke down like that in front of Zuko he just didn't know how to react. He always had his uncle when he needed advice, and Iroh always knew the right thing to say. The Fire Prince quickly felt a pang of longing for his uncle.

Zuko dug his fingertips into the earth and felt the wind blow his hair around his head. His clothes were nearly stripped from his body the breeze was so strong. He thought for one brief moment that Aang had somehow found them and was ready to kill. His hands sunk into the mud and he ripped the soil from the earth with a mighty growl. Was this how it felt for the Aang when he was being chased around the world?

He would protect Katara with everything he had. He wasn't going to lose anyone else. Zuko wasn't strong enough to protect his mother when he was a child, but he was grown and ready now. He made a vow to himself, that he would never let Katara be hurt by _anyone_.

With this thought, he picked himself from the wet earth and followed Katara into the darkness. It was pitch black; he couldn't see a thing in this wood, so he lit a small fire in his hand and walked through the blackness that surrounded him. Zuko was suddenly very alone.

'Katara?' He asked in a shaky voice. His movements became frantic as he swung around, trying to see her. 'Katara!' he yelled, stumbling through the forest.

'ZUKO!' He heard a shrill scream. His blood went cold, air that he didn't know he was holding left his lungs. _No._

'No, no, no, no, no,' the words fell from his lips like a limp, defeated snake. 'KATARA!' He shrieked back, sprinting toward her voice with a huge red glow in his palm.

Another scream, Katara's scream. He was close; he could almost taste the perpetrators blood now. Zuko would make sure if even a hair on Katara's head had been touched, the person responsible would suffer a slow, painful, fiery death. He couldn't shout now, all he heard was the rasp of his breath catching in his throat and his heartbeat pounding in his temple.

'Kata-' Zuko came into a clearing and saw her. Her tiny shaking body curled into the dip of a tree trunk. Confusion had barely registered on his face when he saw it. Blood.

Blood stained the grass and the sides of the tree's hollow indent. Bits of flesh were dotted everywhere in the clearing. He looked at her disturbed face, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, eyebrows resting halfway up her forehead. Splatters of blood on her cheeks. Zuko carefully picked his way to Katara, stepping over intestines and bones. He got to the break in the tree and knelt beside it with the softest face he could.

'What happened, Katara?' he asked softly. He was still terrified at the concept of her being hurt- and it looked like she had witnessed some sort of slaughter. Zuko extended his hand to her face and was surprised when she didn't reject him. He wiped his thumb over her mouth and removed some of the blood that tainted her lips.

'It... It tried to attack me, and I... I was so scared because I couldn't see. I heard you screaming my name, and then it bit me-' she gingerly put her arm out before him. Zuko tried not to wince as he saw the gash in her arm. 'So I panicked. I screamed for you and, it just wouldn't let go so I used bloodbending and I did something to its heart and it made this awful squealing noise... it let go and started fighting me and thrashing around, it's not even the full moon I-' Katara told him hysterically, she sounded like was going to start hyperventilating.

Zuko wrapped his arm around her waist and slowly pulled her the tree trunk. He stood up with her in his arms bridal style and walked away from the gory clearing, shhing and telling her everything will be alright. She slumped into him and said nothing.

'I'll always protect you, I promise,' Zuko whispered in her ear. 'Always.'

* * *

><p>Zuko and Katara soon became hopelessly lost in the vast Fire Nation forest. Luckily, due to Zuko's knowledge of Fire Nation plants and animals they didn't starve, or get poisoned. He knew a remedy for infected wounds, too. Fortunately, Katara's healing abilities cleared up the nasty wound on her arm neatly.<p>

Katara would summon water from plants and sometimes thin air as the pair could not find a single water source. If they could find a river, then they could find a way out. But, they couldn't. So they traipsed around the forest in hope of finding an escape route from the green labyrinth.

'Are we ever going to get out of here?' Katara asked Zuko hopelessly as they settled down for their second night in the forest. Zuko grimaced.

'Not unless we find a river.'

Katara sighed and Zuko threw himself on the floor, exhausted.

'Oh no you don't!' Katara ordered, grabbing his arm and forcing him to his feet. Zuko groaned.

'What?' he asked, dragging the word out in some hope it would make Katara pity him. Her agitated, twitching eyebrow told him immediately that his plan failed.

'We need to find some food for dinner or we won't last a single hour tomorrow,' she demanded, giving Zuko a sharp tug.

'Okay, okay. Quit pulling me!' He ordered, trying to pull his arm from her grasp. To Zuko's bewilderment, she gave him a teasing smile and lowered her gaze before releasing him. He couldn't help but panic as to what she was doing- making his heart skip like a rabbaroo. 'What?' he asked suspiciously. Katara turned her face away from him and swayed her hips a little more in her strides.

'Oh, nothing,' she said innocently. Zuko frowned. A little _too_innocently for Katara.

'Katara...' Zuko began in a strict voice. He stopped when he saw the waterbender instantly lash out at a tree with a long coil of water, severing the branch that an ashy squirrel was scarpering along. With a mighty squeak, the furry animal fell straight into Katara's outstretched hand. Or at least it did, until an arrow appeared from nowhere and pierced the squirrel to the tree. Katara and Zuko stared in astonishment at the dead animal, and then their eyes both searched for the archer.

'That's gotta be Longshot!' Katara yelled, suddenly excited. She ran toward the direction it came from, and Zuko sauntered toward the arrow.

Doubt clouded Zuko's mind when he took a closer look at the stick and saw the Fire Nation emblem on it. Considering that Longshot was a freedom fighter, it was possible that the arrows had been stolen. However, Zuko thought that idea to be unlikely after having a conversation with him and seeing how proud he was about what weapons he used. In a strained discussion of weaponry, Longshot had told him in a very quiet mumble that he decided to craft his own arrows, instead of use the 'fancy Fire Nation ones'. Instead this arrow bared a far better resemblance to that of the Yu Yan archers...

The warning barely left his throat when he saw Katara careening out from where she disappeared. She grabbed the cloth on his shirt and hauled him into an abrupt run beside her.

Zuko looked behind him to see the Yu Yan archers leaping from tree to tree, he cussed under his breath. They were just _too good_. In the desperation to get away, whilst running, Zuko shot blasts of fire blindly behind him, hoping that he would at least pick off a few of the archers.

Following suit, Katara spun around and ripped water from a tree that one of the archers was perched on, causing the tree to snap in half and fall, terminating the archer in the process. She used the water from the tree as a deadly blade, slicing through trees and causing them all to topple. The screams of the Yu Yan archers made Zuko shudder. He could almost hear the crunching bodies under the weight of the trees.

Katara had managed to subdue half of the threats, but the other half still shot arrows mercilessly, ripping pieces of their clothes and barely missing their skin. Katara did very well to block the attacks, continually stripping water from trees and using the water to slice the arrows in half whilst causing a domino effect with the trees. Zuko shot fire balls at the archers, setting their crossbows alight and effectively burning the strings.

After a considerable amount of running had passed, and a while since either of them felt arrows narrowly miss their flesh, they both looked behind and scanned the treetops for the archers.

Still running, Katara began to speak. 'I think we got-' she panted, only to be abruptly cut off with a hard hand over her mouth.

Zuko himself ran into a burly looking man, his hands clutching around Zuko's shoulders. He looked up in fear and saw two Fire Nation soldiers with leering faces.

'Well looky what we have here, Ping,' said the man holding Katara, who squirmed in his grip like a baby owlcat.

'Let go of me!' she demanded, throwing her head forward and slamming her skull into his. The solider went stumbling back.

'Run Katara!' Zuko shouted. She looked at him uncertainly before furrowing her brows and sprinting into the forest. The angry and apparently dizzy guard swayed on his feet.

'That little bitch!' He slurred, charging after her. Zuko kicked the guard who was holding him in the groin and leaped for the man who was taking after Katara, throwing him to the floor. Zuko looked up to see Katara's outline slowly growing smaller. He smiled to himself; at least he had bought her the time to escape.

'No weakness!' Zuko yelled after her. 'NEVER SHOW WEAKNESS!' He knew that if the unbearable happened and she _was _caught, that by knowing not to show weakness to the Fire Nation would help her cause, a _lot. _His thoughts plunged into unconsciousness as he received a rough _**thwack **_to his head.

* * *

><p>Zuko felt weak. Every inch of his skin <em>ached<em>. And yet, it had only been a day. Only one sun had risen; unless he had passed out during a sunrise, which was possibly because he vaguely remembered being ruthlessly battered by his father's cronies. He even thought that he had seen Azula get in a few blows. He _knew _that his father had certainly got his own back, punching him severely in the gut. Zuko only distinctly remembered being asked the same question over and over; _'Where's the Avatar?'_

He didn't give in, though. He stood his ground and gritted his teeth. Even when they burnt him, and stabbed him with spears, he didn't speak. Zuko felt his jaw throbbing, as if it was somehow in the wrong place. He sensed blood in his mouth and tried to spit at the floor, only to manage a long strand of blood mixed with saliva drip from his lips. His arms were restrained above his head and there were cold hard cuffs digging into his wrists and ankles. His knees felt heavy and numb from where they rested on the ground.

His head was by far the most painful. Zuko cussed as he felt the piercing pain worsen. He decided that a hit to the head was better than Katara getting caught. He didn't actually _see _her escape, but he hoped to the spirits that she did. _At least someone escaped._ Zuko slumped into himself, he felt like giving up…

'Hello, Zuko,' the cool, collected voice that haunted his dreams resounded throughout the dank cell. Zuko went to grimace at his father but his eyes hit blue robes before anything else. His stomach lurched.

Katara.

'LET HER GO!' White hot fury raged in his gut and clawed up to his throat, he hissed crimson fire. Zuko was surprised at how loud he really shouted.

Katara looked beaten up, too. Zuko winced at the mere sight of her. She had bruises around her neck, a slash on her left cheek, and a swollen lip. Her clothes were burned and ripped; her sleeves had gone completely, exposing a large burn on her right shoulder. It looked like her hands were restrained, it was smart- they wouldn't stand a chance against Katara. Her face was hard, stony. She hadn't cried. She stayed strong. _'NEVER SHOW WEAKNESS.'_

Pride rose in Zuko's chest. Katara was strong; she would never let anyone who needed her down. Zuko scowled. He wouldn't let her down. Not now.

'Well well, well. What shall I do with her, Zuko?' Ozai mocked, sliding his hand down her waist to her thigh.

'_No_,' Zuko growled, trying to stand only to fall back down to his knees with a harsh thump. Katara struggled in protest, but Ozai gripped the back of her head and held it firmly. Giving Zuko a mocking stare, he proceeded to softly kiss the crest of her lips. A strange sound of discomfort left Katara's throat, it sounded similar to that of a fire ferret catching its paw in a snare. 'STOP!' Zuko pleaded, trying desperately to free himself. The smirk on Ozai's face instantly made Zuko regret showing any emotion at all. Zuko knew that his outburst had told the conniving Firelord exactly what he wanted to know- that Zuko's feelings for the waterbender were stronger than that of a friendship. His sadistic father would enjoy watching Zuko suffer.

'You can tell me where the Avatar is, or I will kill your little waterbending peasant,' Ozai said calmly, throwing her down. She groaned when she hit the floor, her cheek making impact with the stone bricks first. Zuko looked at Katara's shivering body. She was so _scared._ He bit back the threatening sob in his throat. He hated himself because he got them into this mess. He should have known not to run straight into the Fire Nation's clutches.

'Please… Let her go-' Zuko begged. Ozai snarled in impatience and grabbed a handful of Katara's dark hair, jerking her upright and shoving her face in Zuko's. They were only inches apart. Zuko could smell her sweat and blood, tears shone in her sapphire eyes.

'Look at her, Zuko, LOOK AT HER,' Ozai snarled viciously. 'Do you want to be the cause of her death, too? Just like your _mother.'_

Zuko felt the constriction of his heart, any hope that he had about his mother being alive had been vanquished at his father's harsh words. He felt totally helpless.

'Don't,' Katara whispered in a weak, rasping voice.

'Shut up girl.'

Ozai threw to the floor behind him and wrapped his fingers around Zuko's neck, raising him from the floor with immense strength. Zuko gritted his teeth and stared at his hard eyes, desperate to prove to his father that he wasn't a little boy anymore. He wasn't going to grovel at the Firelord's feet for his honour.

'I could kill you in a second,'Ozai laughed. Zuko didn't know what came over him in that moment. Perhaps it was the thick feeling of grief he suddenly felt over his mother's promised death, accompanied by the fear and fierce protection he felt over Katara.

'Yeah, I know,' he said smugly, gathering spit in his mouth and pelting it on Ozai's cheek. He heard his uncle's reproachful tone in his mind when he saw Ozai's wrath written all over his face. _'You never think these things through!'_

'You insolent boy!' Ozai shouted, producing a glaring blue flame of fire in his hands.

Zuko clenched his eyes tightly together, he knew his father. So he knew that this was most likely going to be the end. But not for him, for Katara too. He couldn't bear to think of what else they would do to her. At this notion, tears appeared under his lids. _I sorry Katara. What a mess I've left you in. Our only hope now is for Aang to miraculously burst through the door._

But no burst came, no valiant rescue plan or a father's sudden realisation. Just a desperate scream from a waterbender that made Zuko's toes curl.

'NO! PLEASE, DON'T KILL HIM! KILL ME INSTEAD. NO!'

Then there was silence. The only heat there was in the room disappeared and Zuko opened his eyes to see Katara's tears sliding down her face.

'What? You would give your own life, _a waterbender,_ for the Firelord's son?' Ozai asked in genuine disbelief, a smirk appeared on his lips and made Zuko's gut twist. 'You do realise we wiped out every waterbender from your tribe, including your mother?' Ozai pressed, his eyebrows raised. _Ozai's done his homework, then, _Zuko thought sceptically. Katara looked from Zuko, to Ozai, and back again.

'He's not like you,' she spat, water still spilling from her eyes, but bravery winning over her expression. 'He's a good person.'

Ozai boomed with humourless laughter. He approached Katara and Zuko pulled against his manacles once more in a futile attempt to reach her.

'Don't lay a finger on her!' Zuko yelled, but he held her with five.

'I'm sure you've heard about our new battlement stadium, little Zuko. It was in early planning a bit before you were banished,' Ozai said candidly, pulling Katara up to her feet. Zuko frowned at him.

'Yeah, I heard of it but what-' Zuko suddenly felt a very cold, unpleasantness in his stomach. Ozai snorted at his reaction.

'How rude of me, allow me to elaborate,' Ozai continued, turning to Katara's frightened expression. 'We primarily built the stadium for criminals of the Fire Nation to earn their worth by fighting for their honour in an Agni Kai. Of course, we haven't had the chance to use it yet but…'

'What are you saying?' Katara asked, horrified. Ozai's grin was so wide it tickled his ears.

'What would be better to open the battle stadium than a treacherous Prince and an enemy of war?' Ozai asked wickedly, letting go of her.

'You can't possibly expect us to kill each other!' Katara yelled, putting her weight on the metal wall.

'Well, if you don't fight, you will be tortured to within an inch of your life.'

'No!' Zuko shouted seeing Katara slowly slip down the wall behind her, her brown complexion suddenly looking very pale.

'I'm glad we're settled. You will be taken to a bathing room and locked in there for an hour or two to make yourselves presentable. There's no time to waste so you'll be duelling tonight. I'm being kind, Zuko. You should be grateful,' Ozai said melodiously, leaving the room. Zuko barely caught a glance from Katara when four guards marched in and led them away into the room.

They dragged Zuko by his arms, the metal chains dragging along the floor behind him. He didn't want to make it easy for them. Katara was more dignified; she walked with the guards, complaining at them when they gripped her arms too tightly. Despite their situation, Zuko had to suppress a smile at her attitude.

Katara was thrown into a bathing room, the guards took off Zuko's manacles and he was thrown in after her.

'Don't try anything funny, waterbender,' one of the guards said fiercely, slamming the door behind them as they left.

Zuko rubbed his wrist with his hand and winced at the pain. The cuffs had dug in, leaving deep red slits. He hadn't noticed Katara behind him until she put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

'Let me see that,' she said softly. Zuko rose his hand to meet hers and she caressed the cuts with cool, gentle fingers. Katara sighed heavily and moved toward the bath.

The bathing room that they had been put into were similar to the ones in the royal sector of the palace. They were simpler than the royal bathing rooms. There weren't vibrant red towels or soft mats. There weren't hundreds of different bath salts or an abundance of heavenly smelling soaps. There was a deep, square hole in the floor holding a huge amount of steaming water. There were small grey rags and a tar black cobbled floor. He guessed that this was the servants bathing quarters. As Zuko looked around him he knew that it would be too easy to break out of the room, but they would be expecting that.

What Zuko needed was a plan. He looked up to Katara and felt his cheeks redden. She was stood with her back to him, pulling off her shabby clothes and tossing them to the floor, Zuko quickly turned away; his face felt like it was on fire. He heard the slosh of the water from behind him as Katara sunk into the bath. He guessed that she was healing the damage that had been done to her body.

'Come here,' Katara ordered in a lethargic voice. She sounded truly drained_. _Zuko stood and walked toward the bath, keeping his eyes away from her. He stopped by the side of the bath and linked his fingers together, shifting his weight awkwardly. 'Am I making you uncomfortable?' She asked, almost seductively. Zuko thought it may have been his imagination.

'N-no,' Zuko stuttered.

'Get in, I can heal you,' Katara demanded. Zuko grunted in response and pulled his clothes off. He got into the bath, leaving his pants on. Katara's eyes followed him like a dragon-hawk. Once he was completely in the bath, she brought water to her hands and it glowed in her palms. She began healing all of the cuts on her body, wincing slightly at each one. 'You look a lot worse than me.'

'Thanks.'

'Well,' Katara said, raising her eyebrows. 'We're both here now and that's all that matters.'

'What did they do to you?' Zuko asked quietly, not really wanting to know the answer. Katara bit her lip.

'Asked me where Aang was,' Katara whispered back, her eyebrows furrowing and her eyes narrowed. 'I didn't tell them, though. Spirits, there were moments when I honestly believed that I was going to. I _hated_ feeling so weak,' she said through gritted teeth, her eyes beginning to shine.

'Katara…' Zuko crooned, moving toward her. She inched away from him.

'No, no. I'm fine, let's have a look at you,' Katara sniffed, blinking the tears away. 'Okay, where does it hurt the most?' Zuko considered her.

'Everywhere.'

'It's alright, let's just start from the top,' Katara replied, 'hold on a second, I'll… put some clothes on. My wrappings are so _dirty_ now. Could you, ur…' Katara frowned, looking to the side. Zuko stared at her vacantly for a moment.

'Oh!' He exclaimed, 'of course,' Zuko turned away from her and stared at the misty water. Katara got out the bath and changed. She returned to him and kneeled by the side of the bath, pushing the hair from his face and examining the damage.

Katara's coolness washed over him, soothing the tight, blistering pain that was his heat. He couldn't help but lean back and moan in pleasure as the soft water eased every sore crevice in his aching body.

'Is this okay?' she asked, weaving the water over the burns and cuts. Zuko whimpered a noise of acceptance and shuddered with the relief. Katara had healed everything that hurt, but she didn't stop moving her hands over his body. She ran them up his torso, feeling every bump of his abs and continued up his neck, tracing a slender finger over his collarbone. Katara still had a glove of glowing water when she brought it to his scar. A small gasp of surprise left his mouth but she pressed the glowing water around his mark nonetheless. He didn't stop her. It wasn't that he wanted the scar to be gone, but he wanted to know why she was trying. He opened his good eye and saw silent tears rippling the bath water.

'Why won't it work?' She said in helpless agitation.

'Katara...' Zuko murmured, covering her wrist with a hand. 'Stop,' he pulled her fist away from him and felt the water be released as it slopped down his face.

'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...' she panted, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and burying her face in his neck. Zuko closed both his eyes and ignored the disappointment in his stomach. The moment that he constantly thought about resurfaced to his mind once more, the catacombs. Her hushed, tentative voice when she spoke as if what they were doing was somehow mischievous. _'Maybe you could be free of it.' _And his bitter (but brutally honest) reply, _'It's a scar, it can't be healed.'_

To his upmost surprise, instead of feeling cool fingers press against his scar he felt her lips against the ragged surface of his temple. His whole body felt hotter, his heart thrummed with excitement.

'Katara, we need a plan for this duel,' Zuko said, suddenly determined to get her out of this place alive. He turned to face her doubtful expression.

Zuko I-'

'-we can do this, okay?' He encouraged her, cupping her face in his hands.

'They've taken our mothers. They've taken our freedom. They've taken our childhoods. We can't let them take each other. We need to hold onto our lives with every ounce of our strength because that's ours. Even if they can take everything else away from us, that's the one element that we _won't _let them have and we'll be damned before we go down without a bang. Maybe it's only an inch, a tiny and insignificant inch, it's ours. Completely and utterly ours. This Nation owns every part of us, except an_ inch_,' Zuko leant his forehead against hers and their noses softly brushed together.

'Remember, Katara, _they can't knock us down.'_

Katara looked at him with slanted brows and Zuko thought that she would fall on him crying; but she only pursed her lips and gave him a terse nod. Her eyes twinkled with that fire Katara possessed when things were all going wrong, but she wouldn't go down without a fight, ever. Zuko grinned at her and leant back, she was definitely someone that he could rely on.

'We fight until it gets dark. We fight like we never have before so we can fool Azula and Ozai into thinking we're both trying to kill each other-' he swallowed, 'but when you feel the full moon rise, knock me down with a wave like you did in Ember Island- and I'll stay down. You create some cover for us, like a giant dome of water- then bloodbend the guards to get us out,' Zuko paused and sucked air past his teeth, regretting what he said almost instantly. 'I don't want to make you do something you don't want, Katara. But I can't think of any other way we could escape...'

'I'll do it,' Katara said, looking strongly into Zuko's eyes. She dropped her gaze when his eyes briefly widened. 'If it's the only way we can get out alive.'

Zuko smiled at her, sensing rather than seeing the curl of her own lips. He was too absorbed in her arctic blue eyes. There was something about Katara's eyes that willed him to get lost in, something behind them that told him a story. A story of her home, her past. Those eyes had seen hate, they'd seen cruelty and injustice yet found the way -the remarkable way- to seek out the good in people. A story of the girl who waited and stared at the sky for so long her eyes finally adopted its colour. Spiralling back to cruel reality, Zuko continued.

'I'll deflect their attacks, and if you take some water with you, then you can use waterbending on the unarmed guards. They won't know what's hit them until we're halfway out of the Capitol,' Zuko said menacingly. He saw Katara look at him with a dark shadow of doubt flitting across her face.

'You don't really think I'll be able to manage all of that, do you?' Katara blinked. 'Creating a dome of water that big... It takes a lot of power. I'm not sure if I'm strong enough-'

'Hey,' Zuko cut in, he put a hand on her shoulder and clenched it. 'You're incredibly powerful. Especially in a full moon,' Zuko smiled a little, taking his hand away and staring into her eyes. 'You can do it,' He remembered Iroh's inspiring words in his prison cell the night before the eclipse. 'Destiny's on our side tonight.'

'I don't want to fight you…' Katara whispered.

'I'm not going to let them hurt you,' Zuko replied fiercely. 'I'll _never_ let them hurt you again.' He growled.

'What do you think I am? I'm not going to _kill _you! I'd rather be tortured!' Katara yelled, her now eyes wide and hopeless. Zuko winced.

'No! _Spirits, no,' _Zuko begged her, his heart shattering. He slipped his hand through hers, their fingers intertwined. 'You know who I am. You're the only person who knows who I am, who I _really_ am,' Zuko paused, his heart thumped in his chest, his palms sweated. He needed to tell her, he needed to tell her now. Katara's eyes, the colour of midwinter sky and the teller of so many stories glittered with tears; her lips looked soft and enticing, Zuko leant in closer to her face, his gaze involuntarily staring at her quivering lips, he shuffled closer, 'Katara, I think, well, no. I _know_ now that I-'

'Time's up,' a guard barged in the door. He wore a cruel smile and a cold glint in his killer eyes. Zuko's heart sank. 'Time for a duel.'

* * *

><p><em><strong>Cliff hanger! Will Katara and Zuko both get out alive? Will their brave plan work? Will Zuko ever tell Katara his true feelings? IS AANG STILL ALIVE? Tune in next time to find out.<strong>_

_**Oh, and Katara wasn't NAKED when she was in that bath; she still had her wrappings on.  
>Thanks to ANYONE who takes the time to review; it really makes me happy. <strong>_


	16. Three Trials

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 16: Three Trials<p>

Aang was spiralling; spiralling down into what he thought was oblivion. Thousands of memories raced through his mind, all of his glories, all of his shames. The first time he saw Katara, the first time he saw Toph. The first joke he shared with Sokka, the first friendly conversation with Zuko. They all thrummed through his mind like rushing water, going as quickly as they came. The pleasant memories were soon replaced by dreaded ones- visions of Katara being viciously engulfed in fire. There were visions of Toph shackled to a wall, having the skin of her feet peeled off by a man with no face. Zuko, thrashing against a thick layer of ice underwater. Sokka, being sucked into nothingness, gasping for air and reaching for Aang. He would try to shout their names but his lips wouldn't move and his lungs didn't work.

He felt life slipping away from him as his body slowly numbed itself into a state of unconsciousness. There was air trapped in his lungs that he couldn't seem to let go. He heard screaming, and sobbing. Then he felt a punch to his chest, and then several. A periodic set of hard presses against his torso and he entered into a daze of a single beat. Like a drum, being pounded by an inexperienced Fire Nation school boy. He saw rhythmic flashes of a dark, terrifying face. It looked as if a fearsome face had been jaggedly cut into a black sheet of fabric- and it was nearing him with unsettling speed. A high pitched scream filled Aang's ears and he recoiled away from the nightmarish shape. He put all of his heart into escaping, pushing off the floor harder with his steps and urging his body to hurry.

Aang felt his chest jolt and the air he was holding escaped his lungs. It was replaced quickly with new air, his body hungrily taking it in and relishing the ability to breathe again. He heard muffled cheers and shouts, the sound of bodies joining together in a strong embrace. The face-much to Aang's relief- had too, gone.

But he couldn't open his eyes. He couldn't move a muscle or hear any more than mumbling voices and muffled cries of joy.

Refusing to let himself drift back into blackout, he forced his mind to be alert. It seemed as if his eyes opened but he saw the hazy appearance of purple clouds intermingled with black streaks, and then saw a figure stood before him in red robes. Avatar Roku had come to save the day. He tried to ask the question that had been playing on his mind since he came into consciousness, (if that even what he was in) but he found it physically impossible to make his lips form the words.

He sucked in a deep breath and forced the words from his lips. His voice came out far quieter than he had expected it to.

'Am I dead?'

Roku looked at him with a sad face before replying. Aang's heart thumped in anticipation, it soon changed to pure nervousness when he saw Roku knit his fingers together in a mourning clasp. Aang almost saw it before it happened. Roku confirming that yes, he was dead, and there was a reincarnation in the South Pole; but there would be no way that Ozai would lose now. It was a catastrophe, Aang was so very _close _to finally mastering the elements_…_

'No.'

Aang looked at him in confusion, but felt his heart leap.

'Worse.'

Roku was being so unusually curt, any hope that he previously had was crushed. What was worse than death? Aang knew the answer to that. He knew that the answer was someone he loved being dead. Katara… His friends.

'You're trapped in the spirit world. Aang, you fought the demon valiantly but your soul wasn't in it. It is apparent now that the demon targeted your love interest-'

'It WHAT?' Aang yelled, mortified. He wasn't sure who 'the demon' had targeted himself. Aang hadn't been sure of his feelings lately. He was so used to loving Katara, the aspect of another girl sauntering and changing his heart baffled him.

But Toph… she was something. Something new, different- she was fun yet completely offhand. She was unconventionally beautiful. Being with her was like being on a different world. A world where there wasn't a war, or where Aang was the Avatar; instead a world where everything was peaceful and Aang wasn't the world's last hope for peace. He was a boy, and she was a girl.

'You see Aang, in order to kill you, the demons needed to access the Avatar state. It was Katara who mired that possibility because of your attachment to her. Killing her was the only way the demon could unlock the Avatar's powers. Tell me Aang, what did you ask of the book?'

Aang stumbled forward and caught the ground with his knees. It didn't hurt, everything felt _numb._

'I...' Aang stuttered, feeling his throat tighten. 'I asked it how I could stop the Firelord without killing him. I asked it to show me how to take away bending.'

Roku raised his eyebrows and frowned at Aang's answer. He felt tears seep from his eyes. _This can't be happening..._

'I know why the demons tried to make me kill Katara,' Aang whispered, grabbing his forehead and clasping it. 'Because I need to be in the Avatar state to take the Firelord's bending away. I couldn't because Katara was blocking my chakra. The demons told me that they were helping me... and that I should trust them, let them in.' Aang sucked air past his teeth and felt angry tears drip from his lids. 'And I did. I trusted them!'

'Aang...' Roku began, his voice smooth yet concerned. 'The demons of The Book of Tian Yao are crafty. They have had years of practise-'

'-but you warned me! I should have known that it was the demons, not the actual book! I thought I had a pure heart!' Aang stressed, pain crunching his soul. 'Why didn't I know?'

'Mortals are rarely of pure heart, Aang. There are even spirits who are of dark malevolency. You mustn't let it deter you...' Roku said coolly. His collectiveness irritated Aang, but then he realised that it wasn't Roku who was suffering the heartache.

'Did I?' Aang asked, almost silently.

'Did you what, Aang?' Roku asked softly. Aang willed himself to sound brave.

'Did I kill her?' He pressed, his voice inevitably cracking.

'No, you did not.'

Aang gasped a thanks to the spirits and let a relieved smile crawl across his lips. Aang lifted his gaze to Roku, a question in his eye. A question of _what happens now? _Roku seemed to understand.

'You're in a spirit world coma.'

'Well, that much is obvious,' Aang snapped. He suddenly felt like he sounded scarily similar to Katara when she snapped at relatively stupid remarks. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, 'how do I get out of it?' Aang asked. All he wanted now was to get out of the coma and save the world; he couldn't be bothered with all this spirit malarkey again. Despite his inner battle with the demon who had taken over his free will, he _did_ learn how to strip a person of their bending. The knowledge of it was deposited in the back of his mind, almost abandoned when he fought for his life with the demon. But knowledge it was, a little trinket of wisdom in his mind that would consequently end the hundred year war.

'As you can probably tell, spirit comas are very rare. Usually one in a million end up trapped in the spirit world. Because of this, easy access out isn't granted to just anyone. Not even I know how one is to wake from such a thing. You'll need to ask a spirit who has been here since it all began...' Roku replied, staring at Aang uncertainly. Aang choked on his sharp intake of breath. He knew the spirit that Roku had in mind.

'Koh... I'll have to ask Koh for help again, won't I?' Aang asked, already knowing the answer. Roku nodded silently. He stood slowly, and planted his feet on the ground. Aang was dismayed that he couldn't feel the vibrations of the earth below him, but didn't let it deter him. 'I'll do it. I'll ask Koh.'

* * *

><p>As Aang once again approached Koh's lair, he felt a familiar feeling of horrifying dread intermingled with an aching curiosity. There was the same nagging thought in the back of his mind, <em>'do this and you save hundreds of lives,'<em>except, this time it wasn't merely hundreds of lives. It was thousands.

He walked into the depths of the spirits nest and plastered an expressionless face. Aang wasn't afraid to face Koh anymore; he had no more to lose. He had already lost the war in Ba Sing Se, he had already lost his honour. Aang had always lost his civilisation; even from the start. The only thing Aang hadn't lost was his friends, but if he couldn't find a way out of his coma then he would eventually lose them too.

'Hello, Avatar,' the cool, eloquent voice echoed. Despite his expressionless face, Aang felt a shudder perch on his shoulders. 'Who am I to thank for seeing you once again?' He asked. The noise of scuttling legs filled the empty spaces of quiet.

'Please, I have come to ask of another favour,' Aang replied docilely, his heartbeat thrumming within his chest. He had forgotten about the cold air that Koh sent down your neck when he spoke, and how he seemed to suck all the goodness out of the air to be replaced with dark qualms.

'Oh, don't they all...' Koh muttered sourly, his face that of a pale, genderless one with thin red lips. 'Well, what is it you want Avatar. I'm bored with your emotionless face.'

When Aang opened his lips, the question that he had initially wanted to ask suddenly seemed selfish and unimportant. Aang wanted to know something else entirely.

'I want to know how The Endless War began,' Aang said, hardening his resolve. He knew that the Avatar had already finished that one thousand year war, and if so, a hundred year war was _nothing_. Koh's face flipped and became that of a sad, desperate old man. He perked his bushy eyebrows and looked down at the Avatar in slight disdain, but Aang could detect the hint of curiosity in the Spirits eyes.

'It was a harsh, brutal war. Many good spirits died at the hands of greedy, savage mortals. There is no more you need to know,' Koh said simply, turning his back on Aang and crawling up the side of the nest.

'But... Something must have initiated it. Wars don't just happen,' Aang pushed, his voice choppy and emotionless to mirror his face. Koh seemed to slump a bit before continuing up the wall and creeping behind the airbender.

'It's a long story, Avatar. It far exceeds your intellect, it would merely be a waste of time for us both,' Koh said lazily, disappearing into the depths of his lair. Aang willed his face to remain plain.

'Try me,' he challenged. Aang knew that Koh wouldn't be able to resist such audacity. As Aang expected, Koh slowly turned to face him, and inched toward the airbender. His face switched to a face that looked remarkably similar to General Iroh, only much younger.

'You are a fool to spite me,' Koh growled, throwing his face before Aang's. 'If I could, I could _rip_ your face from your head and leave _no_ evidence of your death behind,' Koh spoke through his teeth, like his words were poison oozing from a possum snake's lips. Aang was surprised that he inwardly smirked at Koh's threat; it seemed that Aang knew how to handle this carnivorous spirit already. 'I will _not_play along with this little childlike game. But, I will tell you how to get out of here, Avatar.'

Aang tried not to frown, he knew that he couldn't force anything from Koh, that notion was unthinkable. His monotonous face simply remained so, and he nodded slowly. Koh's face switched to his white sexless face in response.

'You will undergo three tasks,' Koh stated, lifting three insect legs. 'It will test you of your worth in the universe, both spirit and mortal…' Koh seemed to trail off at the end of his sentence, staring at the space above Aang for a moment before continuing. 'Obviously, I am not going to help you with your… tasks. However, I'll give you a small hint. The chakra that you struggled with the most was the thought chakra. This is where you failed in your duties of being the Avatar. Expect that to come around at some point, boy,' Koh smirked a little. 'If you don't pass these tests, then you will remain in the spirit world for the remainder of eternity,' a silence filled the lair as they both allowed the weight of his words to resonate. 'Goodbye Avatar.'

And in an instant, Aang was no longer in Koh's cave, but in a place he had never been before. It looked strikingly similar to the Southern Air Temple as Aang had known it in childhood. He allowed his face to relax and his shoulders to drop. The airbenders eyes flitted through the temples, trying to search for a hideous monster, or something that Aang would need to murder. He had an inkling that these tasks would not be for the faint hearted.

'Hello,' a very small, timid voice said. Aang swung around to face the voice, baffled to hear such a sweet thing in this world of death. He heart did a short leap as he saw the voice's face. A frowning girl with yellow ashy locks and wide brown eyes stood before him. Aang couldn't help but notice her attire, orange and yellow robes than hung loosely off her body. He gasped, she was an airbender.

'Who are you?' Aang asked softly. She way she held herself made her look like a timid elephant mouse, he spoke lowly as not to startle her and send her scurrying away. She inched toward him, her thin fingers clenched around her antique staff like it was the only thing keeping her alive. The girl looked down with her huge eyes and licked her lips before speaking. Aang couldn't help but admire her beauty.

'I'm Yulan,' she whimpered almost inaudibly. 'You're Aang, you're the Avatar,' the pretty girl said, almost like she was in a trance. A small smile snuck upon her lips. It looked as if her smile was unpractised and wobbly, like it was an unusual action for her to do such a thing. As Aang smiled back, hers disappeared. She seemed relieved that Aang responded, so she could drop the unnatural act of smiling and continue her comfortable pout.

'You're an airbender,' Aang replied, entwining his fingers together in a tight clasp. He wasn't in the mood for pointless small talk. There was something about this girl that made him want deep conversation. Something about her made him want to coax the inner person out of her shy outer shell. Aang was unpleasantly struck by the reminder that he would face tasks to get out of his spirit coma, and Yulan could be one. But…

It was her eyes. Her eyes were deep, and brown; something that he was allowed to get lost in. Unlike any other girl he had met. Katara- her eyes sharp and blue created an unmoveable wall that would not let Aang inside. Toph- faded and strewn, not the teller of any secrets or hidden emotions.

'Yes,' she affirmed. 'I was unable to complete my training... I died too soon, the firebenders-'

'I know,' Aang interrupted, unwilling to hear any more of Yulan's first-hand account of the holocaust. He looked away from her sadly. 'I'm sorry,'

'Thank you,' the girl murmured in response. Aang couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. 'You should be sorry.'

Aang's head snapped up. He stared at Yulan in disbelief for a moment, surveying her scowl. It didn't suit her, it looked misplaced and impromptu.

'Because of you, all of my friends are dead. Even my teacher, Monk Gyatso. They're all dead and if you had faced your responsibilities head on we'd all still be alive,' she spat, suddenly looking very fierce.

'No... I,' Aang tried to explain, but found the words were caught in his throat. He couldn't even make a whimper.

'And now look! Your friend is being _tortured,_ it's all your fault,' Yulan continued, pointing her finger to the sky. Aang followed her direction and saw a hazy sphere in the air, almost like a window. Through that window, however, was an image of Katara tied down in a groggy looking cell, daggers shallowly cutting into her body.

_'Where's the Avatar?' _One of the men asked, she gritted her teeth and screamed that she didn't know.

Aang's eyes inevitably filled with tears. Yulan was right it was his fault. All of it. He wanted to run. Run far away where nobody could find him.

And then he realised.

'Yes. I know,' Aang breathed. Despite the knot in his stomach, he knew that it was his fault. But at the same time, it wasn't. It was how things worked out and Aang couldn't always be held accountable. It was a group idea to get the book. It was Aang's sole mistake, and perhaps unluckiness that his civilisation had been killed. But he wasn't going to run away anymore. He was going to stand and fight for his life and those of hundreds. 'I'm going to make a difference this time.'

Yulan's scowl evaporated and she gave him a small smile. She, as did the sphere in the sky and his temple surroundings deteriorated.

He was engulfed by darkness. On the bright side, surely that meant he had passed the first test. It was... relatively painless. He was sure that the visions of Katara being tortured weren't real. She was safe and sound at the temple with the others. And anyway; Yulan couldn't have studied under Monk Gyatso. All the girl airbenders went to the Eastern Temple. She must have been a figure of his imagination. Something to weaken him.

'Avatar Aang,' a vicious voice snarled. Aang felt a chill go through his body. Unlike last time, he didn't want to see what was on the other end of this voice. 'Come hither.'

Aang hesitantly moved toward the voice, feeling a little too hot. He heard the hiss of a strangled intake of breath. Aang could almost smell the dampness of an old snakes skin, his senses were confirmed when his ankle brushed a scaly surface. He widened his eyes and saw two yellow, looming eyes before him, breaking the otherwise eternal darkness. Two, thin pupils followed his every move. Aang swallowed.

'You have met dragons before, have you not?' the creature asked, widening its eyes. It had the voice of a beautiful woman. Soft, like velvet or smooth running water.

'Yes,' Aang said, lowering his gaze as to be respectful. The creature grunted in response.

'Koh the face stealer sent you here.'

The way the creature phrased his words made it sound like a question, but Aang was almost certain it wasn't. Sweat dripped down his face, where they in a volcano, or something?

'Let me see you. Come closer,' it beckoned, leering eyes jumping across Aang's frame. Aang didn't move. 'What?' It asked. The sound of slithering made it apparent to Aang that the creature was inching closer. 'Are you scared of me?' It asked, almost mocking. Aang shook his head.

'No.'

'Well then!' It boomed, red lava shot from holes in the floor and illuminated the cavern they appeared to be in. Aang saw the creature now. Primarily, he thought it was going to be the trustful red dragon. But his eyes settled upon a much darker spirit. The snake spirit. Aang gasped and startled back. 'Come to me, child!' The creature demanded, opening its mouth to hiss. Aang saw thick, black venom drip from its fangs. It had a subtle red sheen in it, as if the venom was tainted with blood.

'No!' Aang protested, standing his ground. From his previous test, he had learnt not to run from his problems. Now he was faced with a huge problem, and didn't quite know what to do other than stand his ground. The lava had returned to its holes, but the cavern still shone in an orange glow. The snake spirit was charcoal black with a purple tint. A ghastly green pattern was strung down its back in a dance macabre. It was ten times bigger than any snake Aang had seen before; the same size as a dragon.

The snake spirit lowered itself down to Aang's height and curled around his body.

'Why do you not trust me?' The snake asked sweetly, its voice almost lulling Aang to sleep.

'Because I know you. I've heard your story,' Aang replied bravely. He noticed the snake spirit tense for the slightest of seconds before continuing to wrap around Aang's body in a loose swirl. 'You're Bai Su Zehn, the woman who killed her husband. But why are you here?'

'You shouldn't believe everything your told, little Avatar. It's very foolish of you...' The snake hissed, leaving Aang and resuming her original place.

'Perhaps,' Aang admitted. 'So why should I believe your trustworthy?'

'On the contrary,' the snake wrinkled her snout, 'I never asked for your trust, I merely tested it.'

'So, does that mean I've passed?' Aang asked hopefully. The snake spirit seemed to sneer at him.

'Not so fast, child. Don't you want to know how The Endless War started?' She asked, a smile curling on her face. Aang's eyebrows furrowed. He did want to know how it started, but something in the back of his mind told him not to ask. A past lesson, perhaps? Something that he was too foolish to ignore and thus paid the price? 'Don't worry, this isn't part of the test,' she hissed.

'No thanks,' Aang replied hesitantly. His response seemed to make the snake smile even more. She looked even wickeder.

'Oh, you've impressed me,' the snake said sardonically. Aang frowned at her sarcasm. 'To pass the remainder of this test,' she paused as she saw his dismayed expression, 'what? You didn't really think other would be it, did you? Ooh, you learnt a lesson about trust! Now the Avatar can save the world!'

Aang growled internally. 'Just get to the point, would you?'

The snake smirked and looked down her snout at him with amusement. Aang got the feeling that it wasn't jovial.

'You must kill the Prince of the Fire Nation,' the snake laughed. Aang immediately filled with dread. Before he could protest, an apparition of Zuko with his broadswords appeared before him.

'No!' Aang yelled as Zuko charged for him. The laugh of the snake spirit boomed off the walls in the lava filled cavern, the molten once again erupting from the floor.

'Don't be such a cry-baby, little one!' The snake hissed. 'It's not actually him, it's just another figure of your imagination.'

As Aang dodged Zuko's attacks, it made sense. He looked as Aang had first met him; a royal ponytail, strict Fire Nation clothing, the scar a little more fearsome than usual.

'How do I fight back?' Aang yelled desperately, trying to summon his airbending but receiving no response. The snake spirit laughed once more.

'Fool!' Was all she cruelly said.

This Prince wasn't as agile or clever as the Zuko Aang knew now. He was clumsy; his footing was all wrong- he wasn't pulling blows to kill.

And that made it all worse.

Aang knew what he had to do. There was no question about it. It was clear that he had to end Zuko. It was clear that this was some sort of sick punishment for not being able to kill the Firelord and searching for ways out of it.

He had always known that bending in the spirit world was impossible, so why did it seem so wrong, now? Almost like the spirits wouldn't allow Aang to simply encase him in rock, or freeze him in water. No; Aang had to somehow steal his weapon, and kill him.

Aang gritted his teeth. He had to do it. It wasn't the real Zuko. _It wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't...  
><em>  
>Aang blocked Zuko's jab to his chest and grabbed the Prince's wrist. He ducked under the other broadsword that Zuko had thrown in retaliation. It clattered with the sword in Zuko's other hand and fell to the floor, Aang quickly snatched it up and threw Zuko to the ground, tears budding around his eyelids.<p>

'I'm sorry, my friend,' Aang whispered, staring at Zuko's terrified expression. He clenched his eyes shut and drove the sword quickly through his flesh. Zuko thrashed underneath him, blood gurgling in his throat and spilling out from his mouth. 'I'm sorry...' The glint of life left Zuko's eyes and he stiffened.

Aang slowly stood and allowed the sword to clatter to the floor. Tears rolled down his face.

'Happy, now?' Aang asked the snake spirit with disgust. The snake slowly nodded, and they regarded each other in a mutual respect.

Once again, darkness surrounded Aang, but the metallic smell of his friend's blood stayed in the air. Koh's voice returned once more, and Aang's face instinctively fell emotionless.

'You've done well, Avatar. As you could probably have assumed, that was merely the second test. The third will be much harder.'

'What could possibly be harder than that?' Aang demanded, furious. Koh was still not in sight. Suddenly, little rays of sun shone down upon a row of people. Aang's heart sunk.

Toph, Katara, Sokka, Appa, Momo, and Monk Gyatso were all stood before him.

'Kill them all,' Koh said simply.

'What?' Aang exclaimed. 'No! I refuse!' He said adamantly, feeling very woozy.

'So be it. Remember, if you don't complete these tasks, you'll be in the spirit realm forever and they'll all die. Apart from Monk Gyatso, of course...' Koh added rather smugly. He paused. 'You're not going to _actually _kill them-'

'I know!' Aang yelled in hopeless anger. 'But I don't want to kill the people I love!'

'It's your choice, Avatar,' Koh said patiently. Aang strangely felt very exposed. He was showing the spirits another side of him that he had never shown anyone before. A murderous side.

'If I do this...' Aang whimpered sadly, 'will I be able to go back to my friends, and save the world?'

Koh paused, as if considering giving him a simple warning and letting Aang return to the mortal world without having to commit the horrible task. No such relent came, though. 'Yes.'

Aang sighed heavily. 'Alright.'

It was Momo, first. In a sense, that was morally disgraceful for Aang. Even more than the others- simply because Momo was small and defenceless, he squealed and cried. And Aang murdered him, crying all the while.

Then came Sokka, and Katara, and Appa, and Monk Gyatso...

At least Sokka put up a valiant fight. Saying how if he wanted Katara Aang would have to go through him first. Aang sobbed when he drove Sokka's space sword into his flesh. He was certain that if it were the real Sokka, Aang wouldn't have stood a chance.

Katara was heart breaking. He slowly moved away from Sokka's body and pressed toward Katara. She didn't try to fight. She just ran from him, screaming in terror. Aang tried not to let despair swallow him up as he drove the sword through her body. A small, lifeless gasp left her lips and she, like her brother, fell to the floor.

They both disappeared, as well as his weapon.

Appa. His best friend. His animal guide. The only animal in the world Aang would give his life for.

It would seem that Appa had the same in mind for Aang. After one sharp kick to the head, Appa practically gave up. He laid down bedside Aang and let him break the bison's neck. It was the quickest way to kill sky bison. He was taught in childhood that if ever a sky bison's legs had all been broken, they would need to be put out of their misery and killed. It was the most... humane way. Aang would give up his own life for his animal guide, but not the lives of others. Those were simply not his to offer. Not his to give.

Gyatso didn't scream or cry like the others. Unfortunately, the only way Aang could kill his teacher was by strangling him with a piece of his robes. The Monk didn't fight back. He merely stared into Aang's eyes with such a thick disappointment Aang thought that he could drown in it.

Then Toph.

Please, not Toph.

They were all exceptionally heart-shattering. There was no way that Aang could possibly rank the most painful one out of them all. They all begged him to show mercy.

The small girl was placed before him. She wore her white dress, hair tucked behind her ears. An innocent look of fear marked her face. She hesitantly moved around, her breathing shallow and hitching. Her arms placed out before her, as if she were expecting a blow. Her brows were tilted and tears bubbled in the corners of her eyes.

'Aang? Aang help!' She cried, her voice weak and helpless. Aang hugged his sides, telling himself to make it -like all the others- quick.

'Hush Toph, it's alright,' he soothed. Toph swung to face him and threw herself into his arms.

'Oh Aang!' she cried, burrowing her head into his chest. 'I was so scared!'

Aang didn't have any tears left. He didn't have anybody shaking sobs. All he had was a wretched feeling of grief in his chest. He hushed her, and gently stroked her hair. He cried on him for a while, and Aang didn't move. He stood there for a while drinking it in, absorbing it, the essence of Toph. Her out-of-character ways didn't even ease the notion that soon she would have to be killed like Aang thought it would.

Her murder was earth shattering. It felt like the world crumbled around him as he held her close to him, his mouth slamming hard over her lips and concealing air from her nose. She couldn't scream as he held her close, he quietly whispered in her ear that he would never let her go. Toph sagged at his words. Or at least, Aang would have liked to believe that. She eventually stopped twitching and moaning. Toph stiffened, and once again, Aang was greeted by the darkness.

He breathed it in, the essence of it. The cover that it provided. The shield that the dark offered to his murderous soul made him feel a little less ashamed.

'I'll see you again one day, Avatar Aang,' Koh's voice sliced through the darkness. 'Farewell.'

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sorry this took so long. I have exams that have revising and coursework that had deadlines. Isn't being sixteen, fun?<strong>_

_**I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'm really impressed with myself that I've stuck with it.  
>Reviews are always welcome and hugely appreciated. Next chapter is once again, action packed! But aren't they all, nowadays? <strong>_


	17. The Kill

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.  
>Big thank you to seraglio for editing, and just being awesome.<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Finally found myself, fighting for a chance, I know now this is who I really am.<strong>_

Chapter 17: The Kill

Katara and Zuko were both tossed into different sides of the same cage, an iron barrier separating them. She rushed to the barrier and clutched onto it, staring at Zuko as if in his eyes she would find some solace. Some small way to relieve her of the crippling trepidation. Katara made a small, low, involuntary whimper. This could be the last time she would ever see him alive.

'This might not work,' she said. Katara tried her hardest to sound hard and strong, but her voice caught. She expected him to tell her that it _would _work and they'd get out of here alive. Instead, he hung his head.

'I know,' he replied, not making any attempt to sound strong. Katara couldn't blame him. She sucked air down her throat, ignoring the unmovable lump.

'Any last requests?' Katara asked, her voice once again hitching at the end of her sentence.

Zuko looked at her from the other side of the cage, his yellow eyes defined in the darkness. Her heart was in her throat as he approached her without a word but with an intense stare. Zuko slowly raised his hand to her face and caressed her cheek with two fingers.

As frightened as Katara may have been about their forced duel, as she looked into Zuko's eyes it felt like there was nothing else in the world more important than right there and then. She licked her lips and felt her heartbeat accelerate as he pressed his body against the barrier that separated them.

'Just one,' Zuko murmured.

He tilted his head to the side slightly, and carefully leant down to her face. He paused a little. A distant voice in Katara's head told her that he was waiting for her to _grant _him her kiss. Like the small fragment of dignity that she still owned was hers alone to give.

She followed her heart in that moment. Their surroundings evaporated around them and left two teenagers fixated on one and other. Katara pushed up onto her toes and pressed her lips against his.

Even though their lips merely brushed for the slightest of seconds, Zuko felt soft, restrained. Like a small ember flickering on a candle on the outside but a raging forest fire on the inside. He pushed his hand through the bars and clutching his hand around the back of her neck, unwilling to let her go. Katara just let her hands limply fall at his chest.

They parted but their faces remained extremely close and she gazed into his eyes in awe. She had just kissed him. Not Prince Zuko, the boy who had stolen her mother's necklace, the boy who had stolen Aang under her nose, the boy who had heartlessly betrayed her... But Zuko, the boy who saved her from tumbling rocks, the boy who offered to find and destroy her mother's killer, the boy who listened to her and made the nightmares go away.

'A modest proposal,' she whispered against his lips.

Her legs felt like water, Katara's heart had never felt so brilliantly _happy. _She didn't want to let go of him but as she heard the groan of metal doors beneath her open and cheers of a fascist filled stadium she pulled herself away and put on a brave face.

'People of the Fire Nation!' A thunderous voice silenced the stadium almost instantly. 'This country has seen many traitors, many failures, but none as disgraceful as Zuko!' The crowd booed. It made her gut twist, not in shame, but in pity for Zuko. She sensed that he had a love for his Nation, but not their ideals. Her brow furrowed in anger. Zuko would make a perfect leader, one day. They'll see. 'And the last southern waterbender in the world! An enemy of war and a vicious murderer!' Katara couldn't help but lift an eyebrow. _Murderer? Where did that come from?_ She guessed that the Fire Nation wanted to ruffle up some feathers to make the opening of their twisted battle stadium more memorable. Katara felt a surge of sudden arrogance. _It'll be memorable, alright._

They were lowered onto a circular arena. Katara immediately identified their exit, and the guards that she would have to bloodbend. She felt an unmistakable twinge of remorse; Katara knew that she would have to do it, but that didn't mean she would enjoy it.

Her eyes ran over the stomping crowd that swamped all around them. She felt the pull of a water source that Katara identified between the arena and the crowd. A deep moat, almost. Keeping her and Zuko almost completely isolated from escape.

She didn't panic, though. Katara strategically went through the options in her head. She could create a spiral of water and send both her and Zuko out of the battle stadium. But they wouldn't get ten feet without any cover… There were bound to be hundreds of firebenders in there that would cut them down without a moment's hesitation. Then she thought about freezing all of her water over the spectators. But Katara didn't want to _kill_anyone… She just wanted to get out alive.

'The battle will commence in...' Katara snapped back to reality. Had the announcer been talking all that time? She hadn't noticed. Katara glanced around the arena, panic settling in. She located Zuko and saw him staring at her with a question in his eyes; _what are you doing? _

The fact was; she didn't know what she was doing.

'Five...'

All that she knew was her heart was racing.

'Four...'

And that announcer, that stupid announcer just wouldn't shut up.

'Three...'

Wait! There was something in her mind slowly slipping back to her. Like a dream that was forgotten when she awoke, but small remains of it seeped back into her memory as the day moved on.

'Two...'

Katara knew that she had to expect a blow. Firebenders always strike first. It's common knowledge. Anything less is unnatural.

'One...'

She had to save Zuko. She had to save herself.

'FIGHT!'

A large ricocheting gong broke her train of thought. A large ball of fire broke her daze. Concentration commanded her mind and she retaliated with a simple wall of water.

Zuko must have been studying her training. He conjured a thin strip of fire that looked strikingly like her water whip and swung it toward her. She leaped over the low aimed whip and whilst in the air summoned her element to her once again. Katara was caught by a wave of water, and she rode the rippling surf toward Zuko.

He sliced her wave in half with a low, sideways fire kick. Katara's strength disappeared from under her and she went toppling to the ground.

Knowing that he wouldn't wait for her, she quickly created a shield for herself, freezing water behind her back like a tortoise shell. It melted as it came into contact with a burst of fire from the Prince.

Katara jumped to her feet and dodged his sly fire blasts. She was lithe and relatively agile, so avoiding his attacks proved easier than she would have primarily thought.

'Fight back!' He shouted. Katara smirked.

'Whatever you say, sweetiepie!' She retorted, commanding water from either side of him to her will. She aimed one torrent of water for his heels and the other for his head. When he finally caught on what she was doing he was spinning mid-air. Katara didn't relent, though. She twisted her body and the water obeyed. It reeled around him like a serpent and spun him in a vicious whirlpool.

There were cheers and boos from the crowd, unsure which was the right to do. _Was the crowd still there?_ Katara had forgotten. When she and Zuko fought, she had a completely detached feeling. She was wholly in the zone and determined on winning.

Fire broke through her authority on the Prince, and he fell to the floor with a groan. She smirked, Katara knew when she had gone too far- and this wasn't quite his breaking point.

'Sorry little princey,' Katara said scathingly. Katara remembered how when the group first saw Toph, the small earthbender demanded 'oo's and ah's' from the crowd as she insulted Aang. She copied her words. 'But I don't think people want to see two girls in here. You'd better step it up a notch.'

Zuko growled and Katara thought he was actually offended. She tried not to laugh as not to give away the game. And once again, he was shooting overwhelming balls of flame at her. They fought for what felt like hours, sometimes Zuko would knock Katara down and sometimes she would him. It didn't feel like a battle.

Katara felt something change within her. Something glowed and grew; it rippled throughout her body and took over her senses like a white wave crashing down. It blazed within her and she knew, she knew that the full moon had finally risen. A smirk played across her lips and with fantastic strength she pulled her element toward her. Katara stripped every inch of water from her supply, and saw a look of knowing flicker in Zuko's amber eyes. He tilted his head down slightly, a consent for her to continue.

Katara gave him a brave smile.

She swirled her arms over her head and imagined the water entwining around them in a thick dome. Katara moved her feet and almost danced around the arena as she bent the water to her will. Sand kicked up at her legs as she stomped her feet, dipped and ducked. Zuko watched her in a sort of trance, but Katara couldn't worry about that now. She had to save him. She had to.

Katara heard the dimmed cheers and screams of the Fire Nation around them and knew that they had no idea. Katara didn't get a chance to admire her sparkling crystal dome; Zuko grabbed the top of her arms and pushed her toward the exit. He was shouting at her to do something but it didn't click. She felt like she was in a dream again, detached from reality.

Then he punched fire at her ice wall but it wasn't working. She made it thick so none of the other firebenders could get in. He was shouting at her again, a look of horrid desperation on his face.

'Katara, DO SOMETHING!'

She tried to move her limbs but they didn't work. Katara hadn't eaten in a long time, and she was malnourished enough as it was. Her head spun almost gleefully and her legs trembled under her weight. Katara swayed on her feet before responding to Zuko's demands.

Katara loosened the water in her ice wall and it fell to the ground. She used the water as a bridge to get to the exit. The guards on the other side of the barred door stared at the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Prince in amazement.

'Hello, boys,' Katara said a little devilishly. The guard closest to her pulled his arm back as to throw a fire punch but Katara knew she had dominion. She focused her efforts on the blood pulsing through his body and felt it froze under her command.

She had never controlled more than one person before, so Katara assumed it would be a bit more of a challenge. She took over the other man's blood and threw him harshly against the wall, Katara heard bones crunch and almost felt blood escape her grip and rush to his head.

A sick feeling reeled her stomach around, but she proceeded to enforce her own will over the guards.

Katara wondered for a moment if that was how Hama felt when she was held captive in that Fire Nation stronghold. She wondered if the hunger for the power ate Hama up inside, too. Katara knew that what she was doing was wrong, but it was either this or… the unthinkable. She couldn't kill Zuko, she wouldn't. He wouldn't kill her. In Katara's mind, it didn't bare thinking about.

She and Zuko careened out of the arena and Zuko led her up a long, winding staircase. Katara was surprised that they didn't meet any guards on the way up.

But she spoke too soon.

They arrived at the top of the stairs, a huge hall with squeaky clean floors and pristine potted plants greeted them. As well as the dozens of guards.

A wild burst of animosity made Katara move all the Fire Nation soldiers in a vicious cabaret, they all moved as one, twitching and flailing as she pushed their blood out of her path.

_The Fire Nation is bad. The Fire Nation is bad. The Fire Nation is bad._

She had always been taught that. Be it by her father, brother, or grandmother. Her mother never really said much about the Fire Nation to her. When she asked, Kya would frown a little and say that _'There's good and bad in everyone. Some people make mistakes. We mustn't let ourselves think that mistakes mark people. They don't. It's the mistakes that teach you things, they shape you into how you are.'_

Katara would rarely think about this advice. She usually followed her mother's word to the ends of the earth, but not that. Not after everyone in the village was miserable and it was easier to blame the Fire Nation than anyone else. Katara feared the idea that it was anyone else's fault than the Fire Nation's.

Ahead of them both, a large ebony door gleamed with red Fire Nation emblems. Katara's vivid blue eyes searched frantically for keys, a set of keys. There was a brief flicker of light in the corner of the room and Katara saw a man with a square jaw and deep frown lines circled around his lips, making him look like a semi-melted waxwork man. The only thing seeming to animate the guard was his beady eyes that moved and looked at her.

With a few flicks of Katara's wrist and the waxwork man's obedient blood, the door clicked open. She and Zuko were out of the wide hall and sprinting for their lives.

There was a strange silence ringing in Katara's ears. She heard muffled cries of guards and rushed explosions of fire behind them. Zuko evaporated the fire and sent flames in return, knocking the guards down. Katara felt almost helpless, in her haste she had forgotten to bring water with her.

Men ran toward them and tried to shut huge great double doors but Katara would bloodbend their bodies aside. She mentally said sorry to the people she threw away from her path, forced them to unlock doors and knock each other away. She poisoned her mind with thoughts of her wrecked home, her abandoning father, murdered mother, lost childhood.

Zuko seemed to know his way around the gargantuan palace like Katara knew her way around the Southern Water Tribe's village. She assumed that he must have spent a lot of time wondering the long, never ending halls. She was grateful for it, though.

They didn't dare speak as they ran from the soldiers; they couldn't waste an inch of precious air in their lungs. All that they could do was make sure the other was still there, still beside them as they ran for their lives.

A hard hand gripped Katara's wrist and she was yanked into a faster pace, they stormed through great double doors and made a quick, sharp right-

Katara was stunned to see a room, with a large bed in its centre and a few typical Fire Nation decorations dotted around the walls.

Air rasped past Katara's throat and they both quickly tried to collect themselves, hunching over their bodies and clutching to the bedframe to gain some respite.

'Zu-ko,' Katara breathed, 'wh-at are we do-ing her-e?'

He quirked an eyebrow at her and tried to straighten himself out.

'They'll be expecting us to go charging out of the front doors. I needed to think on my feet...' He didn't sound nearly as breathless as Katara, but that was probably because he hadn't been bloodbending almost everyone in the palace.

'And we are..?' Katara probed, locating a harsh stitch in her side and gripping it tightly.

'In my bedroom.'

Katara nearly smacked him in the face. She groaned loudly and grabbed one of the red velvet throws on his bed.

'Why on earth would you bring us here?' She asked, trying to remain calm despite his idiotic actions. 'This is the first place they'll check!' Katara began wrapping the sheet around her fist.

'I needed to get my orientation! It's not like you gave us a head start with all your 'zoning out'!' Zuko accused, gritting his teeth. Katara snorted and approached the window, she was surprised Zuko hadn't clocked on to what she was doing.

'Ooh sorry. It's not like I just used bloodbending against my morals, or anything. It's not like I saved our skins!' Katara yelled. In her fury, she pulled her arm back and with all her might, sent her fist crashing through the window. Katara felt the hard vibrations make her arm ache, but she shook the sheet off her hand and jumped out the window nonetheless.

Her feet met a thin wooden platform. She inched herself along it to make room for the Prince. Zuko followed closely behind her, and once again grabbed her wrist. He signalled for her to 'get low' with his hand. She did as she was told, and they crept along the side of the palace trying to keep balance.

Katara pulled her wrist from his grip and replaced it with his hand. He squeezed her comfortingly. Both of their hands were considerably clammy.

They came across the royal gardens, and Katara saw a flock of turtle ducks quaking happily among themselves. Katara longed to join them, swim in her element and allow herself to be submerged in it, rather than blood. Zuko tugged on her hand and pointed down toward a small canopy of blossom trees.

He jumped down into them and appeared out the other end of the vegetation. He opened his arms to her welcomingly. Katara slowly slid off the side of the wooden panel and hung by her arms. She felt Zuko grab the top of her legs.

'Let go, I've got you,' he encouraged softly. Katara sucked in air and released the panel. She had a brief, horrible feeling of free fall until Katara's body settled itself in Zuko's warmth. He gave her a strange smile before putting her down.

There was something about Zuko holding her that felt too right. It always had felt right, even when they were getting chased by pyromaniacs.

'Come on, this way. My mom used to sneak us out to go and look at the town without the guards,' he led her off to a part of the garden which looked overgrown and wild. 'We would let our hair down and wear civilian clothes,' Zuko recounted fondly. 'She would tap me on the nose and tell me that if anyone asked; I was called Lee. She would flip her cloak over her head and call herself Ta Min. After her Grandmother...' Zuko pulled pieces of a large cinder plant apart and through the thorns was a small gap in the wall, which would definitely allow Katara through. Zuko may have had to squeeze. 'The thorns would rip our clothes a little, and the brick would make them look dirtier. We would fit right in.'

He let Katara through first. She slipped her head through the gap to check the coast was clear before she actually left her cover.

'Hurry!' Zuko urged. Katara ducked through the hole in the wall and armed herself with water from the grass around her immediately. Her eyes darted from side to side, ready and waiting to take out anyone who would try and stop her.

After some scrabbling and a good yank from Katara, the pair were running again. They had finally gotten out of the palace and were darting through dark alleyways of the Fire Nation capitol.

They were two jaguar cats slinking through the darkness. Clinging stoically to the shadows because they dare not be seen. They lived and thrived in the dark. Katara was no longer _afraid_ of the darkness, she _was_the darkness.

Her coal black soul breathed in the wildness of bloodbending and craved the thrill. Katara knew herself, and she knew she was losing composure.

It was different, this time. She was unwinding. Parts of her mind that used to make sense now made no sense at all. She once was a sweet girl, but her constant lifelong battle unhinged her mind. Pieces of her sanity were being pulled apart at the seams and it made her inner beliefs twitch with anticipation. She wanted blood and she wanted it now.

'We're nearly out, Katara!' Zuko exclaimed. That voice. It was familiar to her. It washed over her like a rippling tide. Clearing her mind of evil thoughts like footprints in the sand being washed away by the gentle push of the ocean 'We're going to make it!'

Before Katara knew it they were running through a forest, the trees scratched at her face and ripped her clothes open. The back half of Katara's skirt had been ripped away and her shirt had completely come undone. Still, she soldiered on with her lover, friend, enemy. Whatever it was Zuko meant to her, she didn't care.

Katara had bigger fish to fry.


	18. Duties to Fulfil

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

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><p>Chapter 18: Duties to fulfil<p>

Cool air rasped past her throat and she felt her chest rise and fall, it was strangely calm. She shut her eyes and felt it- the ocean, her ocean raising her up, and letting her gently fall. The sea. So consistent, reliable, perfect.

'Katara,' Zuko was saying something, but she took no heed to it. Katara wanted to roll over and clamp her hands over her ears, shut out the world and just live.

But no, she knew that she needed to face the music. She knew that this war wasn't over, and that she needed to take part in it. Katara only hoped that Aang was alive, not because he was the Avatar, the world's last hope for peace- but because he was her friend. What he may have said in the past didn't matter anymore. The past weeks had told her that she couldn't bear losing anyone else. Not Aang, not Zuko, not Toph or Sokka.

They were her family. And family need to protect each other. She felt her old self finally slip back to her.

'Katara,' his voice was like a single raindrop in the silence.

'Zuko,' she replied, tasting the sound of his name on her tongue and relishing in it. She was alive, he was alive.

'Good spirits, we actually did it.' Zuko breathed a vague but obvious triumphant sound in his voice. Katara bit her lip, hard.

'The question is,' she rolled over on her side and hitched her arm under her lolling head, 'what do we do now?'

Zuko studied her face for a moment, considering her. It wasn't until his eyes dropped to her chest she realised that her top was ripped open, and she wasn't wearing wrappings. The red made itself immediately known in his face. He slammed his eyes shut and almost threw his face into the ground.

Katara probably would have cared more, had she not been so exhausted. She looked down at her body, and inwardly thanked the spirits that nothing _too_bad was revealed. Her top was attached by no more than a few strands of white thread. It exposed an awful lot, but not anything that Katara would feel upset about.

'Sorry,' she said, almost giggling. Katara sat up and wrapped her top tighter, hiding her curves. Zuko groaned and murmured something into the ground. 'Huh?'

'We should take out Azula,' Zuko lifted his head from the floor and locked his eyes with hers. Katara raised her brows and gave him a speculating look.

'And… How exactly do we go about that?' She snorted slightly, 'I'm practically naked here, and you're injured from head to toe. We've just gotten away from the Fire Nation, we should try and find a boat somewhere and find the others-'

'-Katara,' Zuko cut in. He so rarely interrupted her, she stopped speaking and listened to him. 'Do you really think that after we had gone missing for almost a week, everyone would have waited at the Air Temple for us?' Zuko asked, he looked away sullenly. 'They would've left by now. They've probably made a plan, knowing Sokka… I don't know for sure, but I'm almost certain that-' he paused and prodded a twig, distracting himself. Katara knew that whatever it was, the way that he stiffened and slumped his shoulders told her it wasn't good.

'Zuko…' Katara murmured, trying to gently coax it out of him. He met her gaze and Katara saw his eyes, as bright as the edge of a blade, smooth molten gold. Even in such a situation, his careful steady stare made her stomach flip.

'Sozin's Comet is tomorrow,' he spat the words out in a flurry, as if every second the sentence was held in were hurting him.

A foreboding feeling of dread settled inside Katara's gut, like a heavy piece of earth settling slowly into the bottom of the sea. She gasped in attempt to lighten the weight of her heart, but it didn't work. Zuko's hand snaked through hers and pulled her toward him.

She felt his chest press against her back and she curled into him, craving human affection. Or, just craving him. The way he felt when they touched, it was calming yet exhilarating, the eye of the storm but the intense prologue toward it.

'I'm scared, Zuko,' she whispered. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her tighter, strong arms encircled her like a safe haven. She didn't cry, she didn't have any more tears left. All that she wanted was to be with him, breathe in the moment of it, the essence of her fire prince.

'So am I,' he admitted ruefully.

She sighed and turned so she could bury her face into his chest, but he caught her chin with two fingers. Katara felt her insides quiver and warm like jook. Raising her face slightly, he looked into her eyes for a moment. Katara got lost in his eyes again, calculating, arrogant, brooding. Whatever he was; she didn't care. Katara wanted him, and everything that entailed.

'Once,' he breathed words against her lips, 'there was a prince, and a beautiful maiden.'

The girl grinned. 'Not another folklore,' she mocked, trailing her hand over his chest and up to his shoulder. Zuko searched her eyes, like he was looking into her soul. Slowly unpeeling the layers that Katara had and allowing him in.

'The prince never knew how love felt,' he continued. Her breath caught. 'Until he met a beautiful young maiden. Even though they fought, and their relationship was rocky at first, they somehow found each other in the midst of all of it. He swore that he would always protect her.'

After a few moments of silence unbroken by confessions of mutual love or soulful kisses, he stood up and brought Katara with him, setting her on her feet and brushing himself off. Katara swayed on her feet before using a tree beside her as leverage from her weight.

She looked at him in spectacle and slight astonishment as he began de-robing. He pulled his top off and threw it to her. Katara grabbed it and tilted her head at him for an explanation. He shrugged his broad shoulders and gave her a sheepish smile. Her heart fluttered.

'To cover your…' his eyes wondered and made her heart skitter even more, 'bareness.'

Katara blushed and averted her gaze. She turned away from him and tugged the shirt over her barely sustaining clothes. She murmured a small thank you and crossed her arms over her chest.

'It's okay. Anyway, we should go back into the Fire Nation. We need to stop Azula. Aang can't fight both Azula _and_my father,' Zuko reasoned. Katara frowned at him but felt a tingle of humour arise. She hugged the shirt tighter to her torso.

'How can you be so calm about this?' Katara asked, shivering as a spine chilling wind washed over her. Zuko slung his arm around her shoulders and she leant into his infinite warmth. They began walking back the way they came, much to Katara's dismay.

'After everything that's happened, Katara,' Zuko said in a light voice. Katara remembered in that moment that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Her eye trailed down to him. 'I just want to get in a massive, soft, plump bed and not wake for a month.'

Katara snorted. She would have laughed, but the lightness that she usually found respite in was absent. Zuko squeezed her shoulders as if to let her know he understood.

There was something about this gesture that made Katara feel uneasy. Almost like what they were doing was wrong compared to the greater scale of things. Even though when she kissed him she felt brighter and more carefree than ever before, Katara felt the wall that had met Aang so many times arise.

Zuko felt alien. She shrugged him away and put a distance between them. For a moment, he stopped walking and glanced at her. Katara could see even from the corner of her eye his hurt expression.

'We should get some new clothes,' she suggested, hugging the shirt closer to her exposed skin. Zuko sighed, but Katara wasn't too sure what about.

'We should get some food.' He murmured. Almost on cue, her stomach rumbled and Katara cradled it with her arm. How long had it been since she ate? She wasn't feeling hungry, anymore. It was as if the feeling had disappeared after everything that had happened. Zuko looked down at her worriedly.

'Are you hungry?' He asked, anxiety making itself plain in his voice. Katara furrowed her brows. In all honesty, she wasn't.

'Not really...'

'Oh Agni,' Zuko gasped. 'Neither am I.' Katara looked up at him confusedly and stopped. Her legs felt like jelly and her head felt too light upon her shoulders. He went down as to pick her up, but stopped when she inched away from him.

'What's wrong with you?' He asked, his voice catching on the last syllable. Katara lowered her gaze. Instead of replying, she stripped water from the air and offered some to him. He cupped his hands together, not breaking eye contact until his lips met the water. She drank herself, and they began moving toward the Fire Nation Capitol.

'The first sign of starvation is lack of hunger,' he said mutely.

'That's ridiculous,' Katara scoffed. Despite his warnings, she didn't feel the want for food- the idea of it actually repelled her.

Zuko picked some berries off a nearby bush and examined them. After a few minutes, he gave Katara a handful of red and blue orb shaped berries. She couldn't meet his eyes. If she did her barrier would come tumbling down, and they had the war efforts to think about.

But, she wondered, if it's the right thing to do, why does it hurt so much? Desite the distaste she had for them, she popped a few berries into her mouth. They burst upon biting into them, different tangy flavours all swirled in her mouth. One berry. She and Zuko would die. Two berries. They'd make it out alive and stop Azula. Three berries. Sokka, Toph or Aang would die and the world would perish. Four berries. Everyone would live.

A calling of her name snapped her from her musings. Katara didn't know why she tortured herself like that; probably because a daily dose of reality was what she needed every once in a while. The waterbender knew better than some the false illusion of invincibility people seemed to acquire. Katara knew how easily people could die.

'I'm going to find us some food and clothes. Stay here,' Zuko said, handing another bunch of berries to Katara.

'No, wait!' The words came from her lips before she realised. She bit her lip and gnawed on it; worry building up inside of her. Zuko stood before her, frozen in place.

Katara knew that what she was doing to Zuko wasn't kind. Not at all. The fact was, she didn't know what she wanted. Her head was still all over the place from the past week, after what had happened. Usually, after something so traumatic the group always had each other to fall back on- some era of peace before they were thrown back into battle. But not this time. Katara had been fighting constantly- and without her group. It felt like she was virtually alone.

Katara looked up at him. He looked tired, worn out. So he should- if he looked anything like Katara felt then Zuko actually looked pretty healthy. She avoided his eyes, but looked around his face, studied his sharp features that did so well at hiding his emotions.

'I never _want _to leave you,' Zuko whispered, his words caught onto the breeze and a harsh pang of guilt mixed with hurt hit her, and hard. She cringed away from it and hugged her arms tightly; she didn't want to face this issue. The entire world was at war, this whole romantic idea everyone seemed to have their hearts set on was incoherent to the waterbender.

'Please,' she whimpered. 'Then don't.'

Zuko hovered. Katara knew that it would be best if he went to find them clothes and food, but the mere idea of being alone made her insides squirm and her stomach cool in fear. She clamped her eyes shut tightly and threw his shirt at him.

'No, you ke-' Zuko began, sounding distressed.

'You need it,' Katara said firmly. 'Just- please hurry.'

Zuko gave her a small nod and threw his shirt on. She grabbed her clothes and pulled them tightly together. Leaning against the tree behind her, Katara let her eyes drop shut. Just a few minutes of sleep could calm her mind...

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><p>Katara woke gently, instead of violently jerking awake like she usually did, her eyes fluttered open and were greeted with the warm glow of the setting sun. She stretched her arms above her head and twisted against the body of the tree. Sitting up, she noticed Zuko leant against tree opposite her in new fresh clothes, his head hung low and a set of red Fire Nation clothes folded neatly before her.<p>

Katara held them up and examined them. They weren't too dissimilar to her old Fire Nation disguise; a long burgundy skirt with some sort of Fire Nation pattern along the hem that fell a little beneath her knees, a red sash that held the skirt up with one knot at the side. The shirt was again burgundy, and held together with a ruffled seam down its middle. More importantly, a fine satin cloak with a large hood and massive sleeves. Katara couldn't wait to hide away in it, to be cosseted by it.

Picking the clothes up, she moved behind a tree and began pulling off her ruined clothes. They were far past saving, now. Katara threw the blue clothes away and slipped into the new ones. She was surprised by how comfortable they were- and noticed the baggy knee length red leggings that were secretly tucked inside the skirt.

Katara noted how the shirt revealed a lot more of her chest than her old disguise had, so fashioned it into a cropped shirt by folding it in on itself, and allowing her stomach to show. Although Katara had noticed a change in her body over the past few months, it wasn't enough to quite fill out the larger shirt.

Feeling more comfortable with the change Katara decided to practise waterbending. Most of the moves Katara used required able use of her legs. Summoning water from a nearby pond, she used it to test out her new attire. When she encountered no problems with the leniency of the skirt, Katara threw the cloak over her worn body and allowed her hair to fall loosely around her back.

She examined the clothes and picked at the shirt, hoping it would stay put. Sighing heavily at the ill-fitting top, Katara walked around the tree to wait for Zuko.

Katara thought about waking him, but when she saw the peaceful looking Prince, decided against it. Two white parcels were beside the sleeping boy, and she inched toward him. Ignoring the fine smelling parcels, she placed her hands under Zuko's jaw and softly lifted his head. Putting a hand behind his neck, she steadied his face in the other hand and ran her fingers along his sharp chin, feeling the roughness of him- stubble that he had to leave, the tiredness of a jaw that was constantly clenched.

Despite what she was feeling, Katara leant forward and placed a tender kiss on his jaw. It was hard for her to rip herself away, after a taste of perfection.

'I'm sorry, but we can't...' Katara whispered to herself more than him. She remembered her feelings of dejection when Zuko pushed her away in the forest when they first got lost, 'just like you said.'

After feeling such paralysing enmity it was strange for Katara to feel its complete opposite almost straight away. The way she ground her teeth against the tortuous pain in the Fire Nation cells, how she would only scream that she didn't know, and no more. And then, when she saw him, so bloodied and beaten- the immediate urge to tend to his wounds, to hide him from the world and nurse him back to health. The feeling of desperate and inevitable care swooning over her senses.

It was one of the ways that Katara showed affection; protection, mending. It was a natural reflex that when she saw Zuko she tried to heal him. Not even he, Prince of the Fire Nation could escape her motherly ways. He once told her that he would protect her, and she swore to herself she would do the same. But to do that, she needed to put her romantic wants aside and sacrifice them for winning this war.

There would be plenty of time for silly little trips to Ember Island and late night stories, lackadaisical plays about loving dragons and drinks of fire whisky by the campfire and ebbing ocean...

She grabbed a white parcel and unwrapped it. Her stomach growled when she saw a hefty amount of Komodo chicken with rice. Without giving a moment to admire her food, she began ravenously swallowing it.

'Don't choke.'

Katara spluttered at his voice, and indeed began coughing on rice. She looked at him, peeved that he shocked her. Expecting to see an arrogant smirk, she was taken aback to see only a sad acknowledgement. Katara wondered if he heard what she said to him.

'What did I say?' Zuko said softly, slightly anxiously. Katara looked at him briefly, but slid her gaze away and focused on a cluster of mushrooms below a long, darkly barked tree. She began eating once more; slowly this time.

'Red suits you.'

Katara smiled weakly at him, cheeks full of food. He gave her a fleeting one in return and picked up his own parcel of food. She was trying so badly to not relate to him, to not let him in. The jovial girl that Zuko was used to had transformed into a hardy, steely girl full of emotion. He was trying to work at her. She should have known he wouldn't give up without a fight.

They ate in an overwhelming silence; once Katara was finished she wrapped herself in the cloak and waited for her ally with benign patience.

'We'll stay here for the night. We need rest,' Katara said solemnly, looking up at Zuko. He only nodded and continued eating.

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><p><em><strong>Wow, it's been a while since I updated. I'm so sorry, I'm probably going to update the next chapter very soon.<br>**__**I wanted to make sure this was all included because at the end of 'The Kill' Katara lost it a little, and they NEEDED some rest! I also wanted to enlighten the fact that our heroine couldn't just willingly fall into her prince's arms without thinking about it, it's not her nature.  
>Emotional turmoil is hard to portray, I hope I did it justice. <strong>_


	19. Playing With Fire

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.  
><strong>_

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><p><em><strong>Rolling river of truth, can't you spare me a sip? This fountain of youth has been reduced to a drip. Playing with fire, you know you're gonna hurt somebody tonight.<strong>_

Chapter 19: Playing with Fire

It didn't take them too long to sneak into the Fire Nation- Katara was half expecting to be ambushed by a group of soldiers, but this time they were careful, and pretty stealthy. She envied Zuko's lightness on his feet, he was always so careful to never make a sound. His vigilant tread avoided every cracking twig, every fragile rock.

Katara's natural instincts were raging against her as they came back almost exactly the way they had come before, her mind forced her to turn around- but she knew she needed to be brave.

They came through a mass of tightly packed trees and Katara saw it, the endless black palace. It was Zuko's home, but Katara couldn't wait to never see it again. It just held too many bad memories for her.

He motioned for her to follow him, and so she did. They snuck around any guards they encountered, not making a sound as they were desperate to avoid any trouble that they would have had to face.

The air smelt somewhat singed, as if not even the air could escape the comets fiery wrath. The summer heat shortened her breath and caused a long line of sweat to form along her brow. The fact that they were practically holding in their breaths from the guards and tiptoeing everywhere didn't help. They crept through the streets once again, hiding behind tall buildings and disguised against red decor.

It felt like hours had past when they finally arrived at the back of the palace where the royal gardens were. Zuko barged through the hole first, and held a hand out to Katara, waiting for her to join him. She smiled appreciatively and they brushed themselves off.

The two flinched and their eyes instinctively met when they heard the shrill, deadly familiar laughter. Katara could have sworn she saw his pupils dilate at the sound.

'Let's go,' Zuko murmured. Katara nodded and they both ran toward the sound of the cackles, keeping their backs to the wall.

Wishing she had her waterskins, Katara made arms of water with a supply from the pond- the guards had taken her waterskins away from her when they were being interrogated.

Zuko stopped when they reached a corner that led to the main courtyard of the palace, he held a braced arm in front of Katara and slowly knelt. She followed suit, and looked around Zuko's crouched body.

Katara could see no more than a few burning buildings, and two shadows of what appeared to be human outlines. Zuko nodded at her and they both steadily inched toward a short, beige wall.

'Stay down,' he ordered. Zuko lifted his eyes over the wall and his body immediately froze. A cold, sickly feeling tightened Katara's chest.

'Zuk-'

Suddenly, he was on her. Her arms of water slopped to the floor. Katara caught only the glint of his yellow eye before she was thrown to the grassy ground and pinned down by two knees on either side of her hips. His hand cradled the back of her head before it slammed to the floor. Zuko pressed one finger to Katara's lips, holding a stony expression on his face. He increased the pressure of his finger as Katara opened her mouth to speak; willing her to keep quiet. Katara did so, and Zuko gave her a strange smile before poking his eye through a gap in the crumbling wall to look at his sister.

She felt his body tense, and then Katara couldn't help but shudder at what he may have seen. Zuko leant down to Katara's ear and whispered ever so quietly, she actually strained to hear his muffled, rasping voice.

'I need you to stay calm Katara, I need you to focus. I know it's hard to reach into somebody's body and bend their blood to your will, but I've seen you do it before. I know you can do it to save Sokka.'

Katara's eyes widened before tears prickled inside of them and fear wrapped around her heart. She was glad at the hand now pressing down on her mouth, quieting the sobs that were so desperately trying to escape. 'Katara...' he began, his own eyes glittered in the orange light, forcing back scared tears. 'Tell me you can do this…' his breath tickled her ear and she felt a warm drop of water slide down the nape of her neck.

She was reminded of Princess Yue's brave face as she spoke with admirable determination. _'I have to do this_.' Her voice didn't shake with emotion, or fear. It stood its ground as she willingly gave her life to the Moon Spirit. Katara looked to the full moon in the star dotted sky and heard Yue's words echo in her head. _'I have to do this._' Katara pushed her head up and brushed her lips against his ear. Zuko lifted his hand from her mouth and locked his yellow eyes with her blue ones.

'Of course, jerkbender. Now let me save my brothers ass.'

Zuko leant back and accepted her comforting smile with one in return. He rolled off of her and Katara slowly knelt on one knee. She looked over the top of the crumbling wall and took in her surroundings before jumping into action.

Sokka was writhing on the floor with one of Mai's daggers wedged into his hand. Blood had stained the should be beige stones, sending off alarm bells in Katara's head. Questions all arose at once; _how much blood had he lost? Will I be able to heal the tendons that may have ripped? Will he ever be able to use his hand again? Will he survive?_

Azula was stood over him with a blue flame glaring in her palm. Katara guessed that the surrounding trees were burning due to this. Mai's face looked puffy and red, as if she had been crying.

_I'll make that witch cry..._Katara thought, fury filling her eyes with more tears.

Katara took a step forward and lifted her hands in the air. She didn't have the helpful aid of the moon with her right now, but she was stronger than Hama. Not just physically, mentally. She trusted herself to not lose it under the overwhelming power bloodbending enriched in her. The sky was peachy red, it would have looked beautiful had her fears not be eating her up inside.

Katara forced her body to be strong, she willed her bending to aid her. She _needed _to save Sokka. Katara closed her eyes and felt both Azula's and Mai's tepid blood respond to her calls. She waited for a pang of guilt to hit her, but nothing came. She only heard the confused shrieks of the two girls. Standing over the crumbled wall, Katara threw their bodies to the floor with an indisputable twisted pleasure and willed herself not to crush Azula's heart in her chest.

'Katara!' She heard Sokka yell, a mix of dread and relief in his voice.

Katara felt something inside of her change when she heard him. The way that he slowly drawled her name, unusual to his brisk, to-the-point way of talking. She hated that someone could change that, she hated that Azula had the _power_to change that. The way Katara's heart warmed in pleasure as she finally had the ultimate power over the two girls. A smile inevitably played across her lips.

'You know, I used to think having this much control over someone was wrong,' Katara weaved her hands through the air like dancing snakes and in turn the two girls obeyed. 'But now I realise that the Fire Nation has been controlling me, all my life!' She spat through her teeth, words dripping venom.

'Katara!' Zuko shouted from behind her, breaking her manic train of thought. 'Stop! You don't want this!'

She couldn't bear to look at him, she didn't want to let go of the control she had over her puppets quite yet. Katara knew that when she finally did meet those piercing golden eyes, a sense of rationality that Zuko delivered would overwhelm her. She knew deep down that it was wrong. But deep it was, locked away and hidden from prying eyes, hidden from the monsters that had tortured her and demeaned her. Katara shut her eyes tightly together, and clenched her fists.

'No!' She screamed back, 'I won't ever let them hurt us again!'

Katara felt the blood pulsing through their bodies, and stopped it. The girls became limp in her grip, and stopped fighting.

'Please,' a murmur swayed past her ear, and smooth fingertips brushed her arms, 'this isn't you, stop.' Such a sweet, relieving voice he had. Her shoulders drooped and her body relaxed, after a few seconds, Katara released them and felt the ground slam into her knees. Zuko followed beside her, linking his arm through hers and supporting her. 'I'm proud of you,' a cracking voice with a strange smoothness to it. He left her side, and Katara caught herself with beige grits.

Katara felt _sick._Had she really just done that? Used bloodbending to control a person for her own personal gain? Perhaps she had saved Sokka in the process, but she couldn't deny the inexplicable spike of triumph she felt in that moment. The feeling of raw, black, ugly power seethed within her veins and made her feel somewhat unbeatable. She heard the clink of chains and lifted her gaze to see Zuko tying Azula and Mai to the metal grid below them. Katara could feel a subtle sense of disquiet in the air, like when polar dogs scent an approaching storm.

She saw the glint of metal before her mind registered what was happening. Mai darted forward and with all her might threw a dagger for Zuko's chest.

The cry barely left her throat when Katara saw a blur of blue robes shove red out the way, and her brother's scream filled the silence.

'Sokka!' Katara yelped, leaping forward and catching her brother before he hit the floor. She saw sudden flashes of a blue and red inferno in her peripheral vision but didn't dare tear her eyes from her brother's bleeding wrist. The dagger had surely punctured some vital arteries; Katara only hoped that she could heal him. Tears streamed down her face and her voice came out weak and breaking.

'Hush now Sokka, it's okay,' she cooed, desperately trying to sound soothing despite her betraying voice. 'I'm going to fix you up, you'll be as right as rain, you'll see.'

She felt like she was convincing herself more than Sokka of his wellbeing. Sokka whined and squirmed on the ground, clutching Katara's skirts and yanking them in some sort of attempt to ease the pain. Katara knew as she looked at the blood dripping from his wrist that she needed to remove the dagger and bloodbend his wound, or he wouldn't make it another hour. Katara's body began to shudder involuntarily, and she stroked the side of Sokka's scrunched face.

'Okay, I'm going to pull the knife out now Sokka,' she said, the lump in her throat growing as he shook his head and begged her _'No.'_

Katara ripped a piece of cloth from her skirts and put it in his mouth of bite on. She wrapped her hand around the dagger and after a moment's hesitation yanked it from his arm. His whole body spasmed and he groaned in agony, his teeth clenching around the cloth.

Instantly, Katara went to work on his arm, stacking all of her concentration into feeling the origin of the blood spurting from his arm and halting the flow. She bent the blood back into its place and hastened the pace of the arteries healing. Katara felt the vein correct itself and slowly patch back together. This sort of bending was intense enough even with the full moon, but without it, Katara's brain throbbed in exertion. She saw stars, her mind reeled, and Katara felt blackness surge over her senses.

_Katara was floating, she was swimming through the sweet air of summertime and her hair plumed around her. A happy grin peeled at her lips and she twirled her body in ecstasy._

_'Katara.'_

_She heard her name uttered and her heart jumped a little. She knew that tone, and she knew the owner. It seemed like Katara knew it from a dream once, when she was happy and in the arms of her mother. A voice calling out to her that told her she needed to find the saviour and urge him to take on the world. To stand by him in his travels and be his most loyal friend._

_'Where are you?' Katara asked, her voice sounded different. It came out and she sounded like her mother, but the sweet melodic voice came from her own throat. 'I want to see you.'_

_'Katara, wake up, you need to wake up.'_

_There it was, that heavenly voice resonated throughout the dreamlike realm she was in. Despite the clear urgency in his tone, her calmness didn't deteriorate. She simply swirled more in flight, and turned to face the voice._

_It took a while for Katara to realise what she was seeing. It took a moment for her mind to register whom it was in her realm and then a bodily shock that reverberated right through her. That was him, the same arrow headed boy with deep touching eyes and a hesitance about him that Katara could never quite comprehend._

_'Aang,' Katara breathed, emotions eating her inside out. The boy looked wrong; the colours of him were too bright. This universe had been a thing of dulls and dims, of sepia. The mere introduction of colour was unbalancing, as if someone had released a flock of exotic birds all around her and left them, flapping and unpredictable to create havoc._

_'Wake up, you have to wake up.'_

_'Wait, hold on a second. Please tell me you're alive. Aang,_

_please,' Katara pled. She struggled to keep her voice strict as her limbs weakened and her heart ached._

_'Wake up, Katara. You need to save Sokka and Zuko.'_

_He seemed to show no emotions as he spoke, like if he were to Katara would snap him up and scream at him until her lungs would allow no more. In spite of her lassitude, she lowered herself toward him and gripped her hands around her shoulders._

_'Aang,' she begged, now, 'please, just please, do one more tiny miracle for me,' Katara felt tears spill over her eyes and a familiar lump expand in her throat, her words came out in a whisper, 'don't be dead.'_

A yell broke her trance, Aang disappeared and so did her ability to float. She felt cold, hard reality dig into her back as she lay inelegantly on the ground.

'What are you waiting for?' The Fire Princess' voice was soothing, but it had taken on the impersonal bite of someone losing their patience. Katara's fingers stroked the smooth surface of cool stones, feeling each intricate dip and crease, suddenly appreciating the ability to feel. The voice came again, more curtly this time. 'Kill him!'

Katara's lids shot open. She almost leapt to her feet as she threw her body forward into an upright position.

And that's when she saw Azula and Zuko in a struggling, limbed pile on the ground. Both of them restraining the other from firebending, and Mai standing before them with one gleaming dagger in her hand.

Katara's heart leapt at the scene before her, but Mai wasn't moving. She was staring at Zuko's scared face with one of her own, her entire body trembling. Katara wasn't sure how long she had been out but it surely couldn't have been for long. She searched for Sokka and found him curled up a few meters away from her, his healed wrist cradled in his other arm. A warm glow filled her stomach- at least Sokka was safe. A dark foreboding feeling quickly replaced it as Katara realised that he may not be safe for long.

'I... I can't,' Mai whimpered, her hand relaxed and the dagger fell from her palm and landed on the stones below.

'What? You're weak! You traitor!' Azula growled and pushed Zuko away with an unexpected force. Blue streaks emitted from her sharp fingers and without hesitation, or any sign of remorse Azula lurched forward and sent a crackling lightning bolt for Mai's frozen body. Zuko's yells filled the air and Katara watched lightning colour the pale girls body as it once had Aang's in Ba Sing Se.

'No!' Zuko and Katara cried in unison. Mai fell to the floor like a rag doll, her limbs awkwardly sprawled out from her twitching body. The cackle of the Fire Princess sounded even more insane in the otherwise resounding silence. Katara ignored the ache in her cranium to use bloodbending on Azula once more, pressing her down to the floor and tying her securely in chains. All the while she did not cease laughing, but only became more manic as her hysteria set in. Katara turned her attention to Zuko, who had Mai's frail, dying body in his arms.

'Mai, Mai you're going to be alright, stay with me,' Zuko urged, ignoring Mai's slight snort. He looked at Katara desperately, whom only shook her head and clutched her arms sadly. After that sort of attack, and without the aid of any spirit water, the damage inflicted on Mai was fatal.

'Now that's something I've wanted to hear for a while,' Mai said softly. A strange whimper left Zuko's throat. 'I know you don't love me Zuko…' She smiled. 'You never did. You were too full of hate to love anything,' her voice broke, if it was possible, her skin became paler. 'I just wish we had a better chance.'

Tears were streaming out of Zuko's eyes and dripping onto Mai's dying face. Katara couldn't move, she was solid to her spot, although she never actually met Mai, or had a chance to be friends with her… This hurt. She thought of all that would never be, for either Mai and Zuko together, or Katara and Mai as friends. She bit her trembling lip and reached for her brother.

'Mai… I owe you so much, I never treated you like you deserved. It's my fault you're…' Zuko paused, gritting his teeth he pulled Mai toward him and buried his face in her limp body. She put her hand on his chest and pushed Zuko away from her.

'Hey… We would never have worked. I'm too good for you,' Mai winked. Katara saw a smile flit across Zuko's wrinkled face. She leant up, kissed him on the cheek, and when she leant back down, a final breath of air left her body, and she had passed.

Katara heard what she primarily thought was more laughter from the Fire Princess, but when she strained her ears she heard the unmistakeable sound of sobs. In disbelief, Katara picked herself up and hesitantly approached Azula.

She found it difficult not to pity the Princess. If she were anything like Zuko was, she at least deserved some understanding. As the waterbender looked at Azula she didn't see a deceitful monster trying to take over the world- she saw a lost child who needed guidance. A girl who needed her mother. Katara knelt beside her and put one hand on her back and the other on her chin. If she had learnt anything from the past month, Katara knew that people, even the Fire Nation, deserved second chances.

'I'll kill you...' Katara heard Zuko's mute, gruff voice say. 'I'LL KILL YOU!'

Well, the Fire Nation weren't known for their empathy.

Azula was ripped from Katara's grip and thrown to the floor, Zuko's hands wrapped around her neck. She choked and spluttered, her eyes popped out of her skull making her look even madder. Katara leapt forward and tried to pull Zuko off only to be violently pushed back. Feeling an unmistakeable pang of hurt, Katara once again resorted to bloodbending and tried to freeze the blood in his arms. It didn't work. She must have been too fatigued to be able bloodbend anymore, and less desperate.

'Sokka, help!' Katara yelled at her brother. He furrowed his brows angrily and slowly, surely, shook his head. 'You've gotta be joking…' She almost whispered, stunned. 'HELP ME!'

Sokka refused once again, and Katara felt a helpless feeling drown her. There was nothing she could do to _force _Zuko to leave her alone, she was far too weak. Nonetheless, Katara lunged for him with all the strength she could summon and sent them into a rolling bundle. Katara slammed him to the ground, a concentrated anger filling her to the brim.

'NO MORE KILLING!' She yelled at his stunned face, 'it ends today. All the death, and hate, and _war_ ends today.' Katara looked at her blood stained hands. 'It ends with mercy and peace, and I know exactly who will finally do it,' a very small, rare smile escaped her. 'An air nomad named Aang.'


	20. The Avatars Book

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

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><p>Chapter 20: The Avatar's Book<p>

'Is Aang alright? Where is he? Where's Toph? Sokka, why on earth were you left alone?' Katara demanded as the trio walked, almost ran, toward the rocky highlands where Aang was supposedly battling Ozai.

Zuko had been quiet the entire way, and Sokka wasn't his usual, ribald self either. Katara felt weak having used bloodbending so vigorously without the aid of the moon.

'Aang's fine. He was in this trippy coma for three days, but he's alive. And I was left alone because I sure wasn't going to let Suki come with me, and Toph had to metalbend everyone into the Fire Nation airships…' Sokka said grudgingly.

'Wait a second, Fire Nation airships?' Katara asked, 'whatever happened to the war balloons?'

'I don't know, okay?' Sokka shouted. A vein in his forehead that always popped out when Sokka was particularly angry made an appearance. 'We saw them when we snuck back into the Fire Nation, Suki saw them being built. We couldn't split up Smellerbee and Longshot and to get into the ships they needed Longshot as cover-'

'Slow down, Sokka,' Katara said, reaching for him. He shrugged her hand away coldy. 'What's the matter with you?'

Sokka turned on his heel, his mouth agape, angry colour staining his face. 'Me? What's wrong with me? You're the one who disappeared! Do you realise how worried we were? We thought you were dead!'

Katara stopped too, and clenched her hands into shaking fists. 'I nearly did die, and so did Zuko! But right now, we have to go and help Aang!'

'No.' Zuko cut in sullenly. Both Katara and Sokka stopped to face him.

'I'm sorry, what?' Katara said, annoyance making her voice shake. She hated that it sounded like that- like she was about to cry.

'Aang needs to face my father on his own, the best we can do is subdue the other threats.' He reasoned, clutching his diaphragm. Katara's heart dropped when she saw blood staining his shirt.

'You're bleeding! Let me see.' She ordered, slowly walking toward him. Zuko flinched away from her outstretched hand. His hair, matted with sweat, shadowed his eyes from her gaze.

'It's not my blood.' He replied in a low, certain voice. Katara brought her hand back to herself and bit her lip.

She searched for the right words to say to him- before realising that there were none. Katara quietly nodded and turned away from him, walking toward her brother for some direction of what to do. Sokka seemed to understand.

'You're right, Zuko.' He said. Zuko looked up at him doubtfully, Sokka quickly corrected himself- 'about the threats, I mean. But I know the others have got it, we had it all planned out, the airships won't be a problem. Your uncle and our dad have joined the White Lotus, right?' The two nodded. 'We needed a place to stay, the only person in the Fire Nation we could actually trust wasn't too far away from us- so we went to Shu Jing island and asked help from Master Piando-'

'-he was my swordsmanship teacher,' Zuko interjected. It was irrelevant, but Katara assumed anything to take his mind off Mai was helpful.

'Me too,' Sokka smiled, 'and we found out that actually he was part of the White Lotus, and they were going to take back Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King.'

'Wow,' Katara breathed. 'This is really it. We might actually win this time.'

'No,' Sokka said, 'we will win.'

Katara beamed at her brother, and jumped into his arms, wrapping hers tightly around his neck. A warmth filled her, one that she had never experienced before. The idea that the 100 year war could be over in a matter of hours made her almost squeal like a stupid Ba Sing Se model. She leant back and opened her arm to Zuko, who was hesitantly stood behind them, a small crook at his own lips. He walked into her arms and they all sagged into each other, completely and utterly buzzing.

'The best thing that we can do now,' Sokka said, breaking the hug first, 'is be there for our friend. Come on, let's go find Aang.'

The trio walked in silence, Sokka seemed to know where he was going so Katara trusted his judgement. Inside, Katara knew that Sokka was going to be angry with her, she expected it. After all, she and Zuko had disappeared without a word for a week- it was only logical to assume the worst with the state of the world as it was. He walked ahead of them, limping on a leg that Katara doubted was injured. She thought it was probably more of a mental thing than physical; sometimes when people at war suffered wounds, they made themselves believe that other parts of their bodies were damaged, too. She had been taught that at the Northern Water Tribe in the healing huts. Perhaps Sokka just didn't want to be bothered- Katara respected that boundary, so fell into step with Zuko.

She wanted so badly to comfort him, but with the way she had been treating him lately, Katara feared how he would react. She feared more than anything being shut down by him. The waterbender didn't think she could handle it.

'Hey...' Katara murmured, making sure Sokka couldn't hear. Zuko looked at her, eyes shining. 'She was a great person, I'm sorry it had to end that way.' Katara bit her lip, 'I know sometimes it hurts more to care,' she slipped her hand into his, 'but it does better to put the past behind you.'

'But it still hurts,' he whimpered, squeezing her hand like a lifeline. Katara held onto it, and looked strongly into his eyes.

'The past can hurt, and it will. But it gets better. Even if you never think it will; it does. Mai was an amazing person, and she'll never be gone- not really. She'll always live in our hearts, and minds,' Katara hadn't noticed the tears slipping down her cheeks until she saw Zuko's own tears. 'Oh, spirits, I've made it worse.'

Zuko shook his head and held Katara's hand tighter. 'No, no you haven't. It's just so hard,' his voice was raspy and weak; it caught on almost every word.

'We do this, we'll end this war and it was Mai who helped- she's a hero.' Katara took her hand from his and rubbed his back softly.

'Thank you, Katara.'

They walked like that the entire way until they saw awesome blasts of fire and raging gusts of wind recoiling through the air. Sokka pointed a finger and yelled for them. They ran up behind him, and tried to take in the incredible sight before them.

Katara had never seen Aang fight with such ferocity and raw power. Every move that Ozai threw Aang's way was deflected, and returned ten times harder.

'Wow, he's incredible!' Katara yelled above the noise, clasping her hands together proudly as he used a huge torrent of water to distinguish a flare of fire, which sent steam swirling into the air.

'Let's just hope he remembers his training...' Zuko said darkly.

'Yes Aang! Airbending SLICE!'

Katara giggled at her brother, and watched in awe the battle taking place before her. Even though the two were considerably far, she could just make out the boulders of rock Aang was pelting at Ozai. It hit him to the ground, and immobilised the firebender.

Through squinted eyes, Katara saw the bright white glow of tattoos and wide eyes; Aang was in the Avatar state. He began saying something to Ozai, from the distance Katara couldn't quite hear what, but she could tell because of the opening and closing glow in Aang's mouth, and heard the faintest whisper of the words on the gentle breeze.

'Let's get closer!' Sokka said, jumping onto a thin pillar of rock and precariously balancing on it.

'No!' Katara shouted, 'Sokka, get back here! We only intervene if Aang needs us!'

'I don't care if he needs us; I want to get a closer loo- oh...'

A gargantuan white light descended from the sky, a wide strip of moving figures shone upon Ozai that looked vaguely like spirits.

'What is that thing?' Katara puffed, mystified by its enticing light. It appeared to be a light of swirling spirits, some with demonised faces, some with angelic ones. They all swarmed around the firebender that seemed to have been frozen to the ground.

'It looks like... A spirit cocktail.'

'Have you been hitting the cactus juice?' Katara asked with raised eyebrows.

'It looks more like the spirits from The Book of Tian Yao,' Zuko said, it seemed like he too was unable to take his eyes off the light. 'Like… they're judging him.'

A small, barely visible orange glow shone in Ozai's chest. The white spirits all circled it and slowly stripped it from his chest- the orange glow took on the form of a giant flaming dragon, commanding the skies. However, as the light began to lift from the earth, the fiery dragon was forced up with it, roaring and squealing in protest.

Almost like the dragon that the firebender at the masked carnival had summoned, leashed by a greater power. But it changed form, the beautiful glowing dragon was no more- and a dark, tar black phoenix was in its place. Scarlet red eyes that seethed hate and pain, a beak that squawked and screeched. It fought against the grip of the white spirits but it was futile, as soon as the light had reached the end of its tether, the light vanquished and the black fire evaporated.

'Now THAT was some spirit bending,' Sokka choked out.

Katara was utterly speechless, she had never seen anything so magnificent. Zuko was by her side, equally as dumbstruck. What they had just witnessed was unlikely to ever occur again- at least not in their lifetimes. She wondered if it had ever happened before, if it had ever happened at all in the history of the world- somehow, Katara doubted it.

'Come on, let's go!' Sokka shouted, leaping from rock to rock, sounding overjoyed.

Katara followed her brothers lead, using water from far below as assistance over the larger jumps- she wanted to be the first one to see Aang.

Ignoring the rocks as they got thinner, Katara rode a tall wave, weaving it in and out of the rocks with her arms. She was too fixated on her friend to think of anything else at that moment.

The Avatar was stood over a dishevelled wreck of a man, his shadow casting a looming silhouette. Katara shouted his name in joy as she neared him. He turned to face her, with one eyebrow raised and his lip quirked at the side as it did when he was confused. His face immediately lit as he saw her.

'Katara!' He yelled, opening his arms for her. She jumped onto him with all her might, wrapping her arms around his fragile little neck.

'Aang, oh Aang you're alive, you're alright,' she wept, squeezing him tighter. 'You did it,' she was sobbing now. 'You beat him.'

'I couldn't have done it without you, Sifu Katara,' Aang said happily- it sounded like he was crying too. 'I'm so happy you're okay. Sorry for trying to kill you. Heh.'

Katara laughed despite herself, happy sobs still finding their way into her throat. They broke apart and Katara straightened out his ripped Air Nomad clothes, and brushed his shoulders off, merely out of habit.

Katara heard a throaty groan from a man below them, and turned her attention to the Firelord curled up on the ground. Memories of the Fire Nation stronghold came back to her, Ozai burning parts of her body that should be hers and whomever she decided to share it with. A feeling of pure rage and humiliation submerged Katara and she walked toward him slyly.

'Well hello there, _Firelord_,' she said through gritted teeth, sounding sickly sweet and rather a lot like a two headed rat viper. 'Remember me? Yeah, I'm that little _peasant_you tortured for the Avatar.'

Aang made a small squeak of surprise, but Katara didn't meet his gaze- she was too focused on her prey. The firebenders eyes flung open and his pupils met hers. Katara scowled at him, a smirk curled at her mouth when she detected fear in his eyes.

'Oh? You do? I'm glad. Just so we're clear,' Katara pulled her foot back and sent it propelling into his groin, 'I am _Master Katara_of the Southern Water Tribe.'

His face scrunched up in pain and he groaned in agony, even Aang, Zuko and Sokka (who had just arrived to see the marvellous kick) made noises of displeasure.

'That's gotta hurt...' Sokka said with a wincing face.

'You said it,' Zuko agreed, looking at his father through his hands. Katara spat on Ozai's squirming body and tore herself away.

'Hey guys,' Aang said cheerfully. Zuko and Sokka looked at each other briefly before running toward him and embracing each other in a full, unashamed man hug. Katara laughed at them all together, clutching onto one another like squealing girls.

'Come on Katara, join us!' Sokka urged, making space for her. She shook her head at them smiling.

'I think I'll take a miss on that one,' she said with a wink. 'Just, take me home.'


	21. Last Request

_**A:TLA does not belong to me, nor do these characters. They belong to VIACOM. They only take part in any way this story takes me.**_

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><p>Chapter 21: One Last Request<p>

When they had finally met up with the rest of the group, Katara was crying with happiness and a strange feeling of completeness. She had clutched onto Zuko's hand for the entire time and kissed Suki, Toph, Longshot _and _Smellerbee on their cheeks, much to Toph's particular indignation. In revenge, the earthbender pulled at her skirts and asked 'what on _earth_ are you wearing Sugar Queen?'

Not long after that, they all gathered together in the Earth Kingdom to celebrate King Kuei's re-crowning. Aang hugged Bosco, and dressed Momo in a little suit and hat, and they all laughed and hugged each other again.

They were all wore fine satin Earth Kingdom clothes, provided by Earth King Kuei himself. When they arrived at the palace, they were greeted with glowing green lanterns and cheering crowds. Everyone, even the citizens that lived in the lowest ring of Ba Sing Se were there, wearing their own dapper clothing. The group walked among the crowds first, Katara picked up the children that tugged at her dress and kissed them gently on the forehead, just because she was happy that those kids could live, and have a life, and be safe to say and _feel_ how they want.

The group were all shown their rooms, and Katara and Zuko looked at each other with embarrassment and slight disgust when they both saw Sokka pinch Suki's backside as they were introduced to Sokka's room. Nonetheless, when they arrived in Zuko's room, Katara couldn't help but notice the firebender edge toward her. Perhaps it was her imagination.

After Aang and Zuko's squishy speech about hope, peace and love, the party began.

The sky darkened and twilight settled sleepily over the Earth Kingdom capital, the delicious food was displayed, and the entire group ate so much they thought that their stomachs would burst open. The dining hall was alive with buzzing conversations and political so-so's were waved away and ignored, at that moment, the hour was theirs. Every single one of them. Even though the entire group were under the legal drinking age, they all had alcohol thrust into their palms and most of them, apart from Toph and Aang, drank.

'Maybe you shouldn't be drinking, guys…' Aang said, a slight curve to his lip. He had his arm slung around Toph's neck, and if Katara hadn't known any better she would have thought Toph was blushing.

'Psh, please!' Sokka slurred, throwing his drink down on the table, 'if I can drink _cactus juice_ I'm sure I can survive on a little earth brandy.'

Katara and Suki chuckled at him, a glass of alcohol in their own hands. As she looked at the liquid she remembered how sour the vodkine felt on her head when she used it to heal herself in Ember Island. She stared at it now with a small lemon perched on the side of the glass in wonder as it made her head swirl. Katara looked up from her glass just in time to see Aang peck Toph on the lips, there was a collective gasp around the group and Aang turned a lovely shade of crimson.

'What are all you boogerfaces looking at?' Toph scoffed. Katara smirked at her, and Toph merely blushed slightly and smirked right back.

The group mixed with the 'officials' in Ba Sing Se, and Katara couldn't quite shake the feeling it was too much like the time they were first in the palace ballroom. But, this time, there were no Dai Li agents skulking around in the corners, or Ju Dee's brandishing overly exaggerated smiles at them. There were just warm faced people with nothing but nice words to say to the heroes.

Katara did however, feel the hard stares of some certain shady characters. It was common knowledge now that the waterbender knew _blood_bending, and she could almost feel the disgusted looks on the back of her head. Strangely, though, she didn't care. Katara knew inside that she only used bloodbending as a last resort, and would never for the rest of her human life use it again. She kept catching glances of a very quiet firebender, too. He would look away, when she caught him. A very faint red appearing on his cheeks. And then her heart would speed, and she would smile to herself.

But, among all the compliments and cheery sycophants, Katara actually felt herself get a little embarrassed toward the end of it. Women with bright lipstick and heavy eye shadow kept pushing her hair out of her face and saying _'_my, what lovely cheekbones you have!'_, _men patting her on the back harshly and telling her that _'_I wish I had a son like you!'_, _and when the compliments got a little too much for her modesty, and her head was dizzy from the alcohol, she sought her prince, slipped her hand through his, and with one, slightly alluring glance led him away from the crowds.

After leading him down several hallways, she stopped in her tracks and laughed. 'Zuko, I don't know where I'm going.'

Zuko laughed back and let go of her hand. 'At least now you admit it.'

'Don't be so smug,' she whispered, turning back to him. Zuko looked at her strangely, with narrowed eyes and a slight crook in his lips. He moved toward her, and unbeknownst to Katara, felt herself move away, but he cut her off and practically pinned her against the wall.

'Katara,' his voice hissed her name, he moved closer to her. 'I don't want to rush you, or make you feel uncomfortable, but…'

'But what?' she whispered gently.

'I want to know if…' he sighed, like he was annoyed with himself. She felt his torso brush hers. 'If you have the same- well, if you feel the same wa-'

Katara cut him off by pressing her finger to his lips, she brushed her mouth against his and kissed him. She didn't hesitate, nor did she even think, her eyelids fluttering shut… and before what she was doing even _registered_ in her mind, the new Firelord's lips were pressing desperately against her own.

Had they suddenly appeared, not even the combined force of all four of her friends could stop Katara from kissing back just as desperately, breathing him, faintly tasting the sweet remains of egg custard tart and fire whiskey and shared memories. As if they knew their rightful place, her arms wrapped around his neck, and his round her waist. She poured everything she had into that kiss, all the love, the hate, the anguish, the _regret._

But that, she didn't regret. And nor would she, not for the rest of her life. And when people would ask them 'how did you meet?' they would glance at each other from the corners of their eyes, two heavy smiles peeling at their lips and a laugh bubbling inside them. They would nudge one another gently and tell the requester, 'long story.'

'To my room.' Zuko said. It wasn't a question; he dragged her by the wrist until they found themselves in his appointed chambers.

Katara's head spun with the vodkine, and she had Zuko by the collar. Her head swam happily as she pulled him into her, their bodies clumsy and drunk. The back of Katara's knees hit the bed and they both fell onto it in a mess of laughing teenager. Zuko looked into her eyes with a wide grin when he picked her up by the waist with one strong arm and moved her up the bed. He crawled on top of her staring at her lips and propping himself up with his elbows. Her heart was thumping with excitement; it was a new sort of feeling. She was so used to being scared all the time; she forgot what it was like to feel like this.

Even though she was only fifteen, she was surprised by how much she wanted him, even if she didn't completely know what that meant. Allowing the vodkine to spur her actions on, she wrapped her legs around Zuko's waist and suddenly felt more excited than she thought she had ever before. Zuko was looking down at her with a soft expression; he wasn't smiling anymore, but he wasn't frowning. He was just… neutral. As if he was considering something deeply, Katara couldn't quite register the emotion.

To her surprise, Zuko suddenly moved his face down and placed soft kisses on her throat. It felt like he was breathing fire into her skin, it was transcending down to stomach and throughout her entire body. A breath left her lungs and came out in a gasp. She didn't realise she was smiling until she felt lips on hers, soft and urgent, like he was holding back. His kiss made Katara doubt his inability to conjure lightning. Her hands were pressed limply on his chest, but as their kissing grew more passionate, she grabbed a fistful of cloth and pulled her into him. There wasn't one part of their bodies that weren't touching. His touch was like tiny sun spores exploding on her skin, fizzling and crackling similar to fireworks in the night sky. She ran her hands down his torso and rested them on his hipbones, they were defined. Living off their rations in the wild had obviously weakened his body. He looked smaller than he used to look when they were enemies. He looked less threatening. Nonetheless, she clutched her hands around his hips and they flipped. She was suddenly on top of him and it was her leaning down.

She felt excitement in her throat, and lust in her gut. Katara ran her hands back up his body to his face, cupping it in two hands. She rose her lips to his scar, and kissed its outline sorrowfully. She pressed her lips against it for a few seconds and just froze the moment of it all. It was so perfect. His heavy breathing on her neck, their closeness, his warmth, the way he made her feel by pressing his lips on her throat. He understood her. He understood every inch of her without a question and accepted her without a second thought. She wasn't just kissing him in lust. She was kissing him because she wanted him to know how much she _loved _him. Being the independent girl that Katara is, she never thought she would want someone to stay with her so desperately. But in this moment; in this perfect, fragile moment, she never wanted to let go of him.

Katara's fears were addressed when she felt two strong hands on her shoulders; Zuko pushed her up and away from his face. As she leant back, he leant forward. Katara found herself sat in his crossed legs, and staring into his serious golden eyes.

'Katara, how old is the usual Water Tribe betrothal age?' Zuko asked, his words slurring slightly. Katara rose her eyebrow at him. For a drunk, sixteen year old boy with a girl in his bed, he was incredibly talkative.

'Sixteen. Why?' Katara put her arms around his neck, licking her lips. Zuko shivered and leant the tiniest inch backward.

'Lay down with me,' Zuko told her, putting a hand on the small of her back. Katara gave him a lopsided smile and lunged for his lips. He kicked out his legs and fell back on the feather pillows with his hands behind his head, like he was surrendering. Disappointment flitted in her face and she leant away from him to sit up again.

'Why won't you kiss me?' She huffed, pouting.

'Because the traditional betrothal age for the Water Tribe is sixteen. And you're only fifteen,' Zuko pointed out.

'What? Why does that matter? It's only a kiss,' Katara urged, getting off of him and crossing her legs. Zuko let out a breath.

'I don't want to get carried away,' Zuko paused, 'Your dad would _kill_ me,' he said worriedly. He turned his body to face her and leant up on one arm, his muscles flexing and suddenly looking rather big. 'It's hard enough not ripping your clothes off right now. You're not a boy, you don't know how desperately…'

'Oh I do. Don't underestimate the severity of a tipsy girl's desire, Zuko,' Katara cut in, picking at her ruffled, extravagant robe. She was trying to configure the button on the side of the dress without looking too drunk; it wasn't working. 'Besides, I don't know when I'll be able to see you again.'

'Don't speak like that,' Zuko said sadly.

'Well, it's true. I need to go to the Southern Water Tribe and rebuild it. That isn't gonna happen overnight,' she murmured, unpicking the buttons clumsily. Her hand was quickly enclosed in Zuko's, and he swung her body around to face away from him.

'Shh,' Zuko hummed. He pulled her into him, her back to his front, and Katara knew that he had won. His arm was wrapped around her waist and his hand rested on her abdomen. Zuko's breath tickled the back of her neck and sent goose bumps down her body. _Yeah, this would be just fine,_ Katara thought comfortably.

Katara woke up in the early day, Zuko still wrapped around her body in the foetal position. His hand was still on her abdomen. They had fallen asleep in all of their clothes, on top of the covers. She noticed that a few of the buttons on the side of her robe had come undone, and was reminded of the night before. Katara felt her cheeks redden and she bit her lip; did she really tell Zuko she wanted to have sex with him? She cringed a little in shyness, as opposed to embarrassment. Katara was surprised to hear Zuko purr in her ear; it reassured her, as it always had.

'There is one thing I never quite got to tell you, Katara,' His voice growled with want, but he was somehow soft. Just the sound of his voice made Katara smile dreamily into the pillows.

'What was that?' Katara asked happily, her voice cracking with the grogginess the alcohol had left.

'I love you.'

_**THE END.**_

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><p><em><strong>I loved writing this story, thank you to everyone who favourited, left reviews, spurred this story on!<br>Zuko and Katara are a beautiful couple from my point of view, the series paralleled them so much in the show. I'm sad they never happened, but I like being able to lose myself in AU's for Avatar. Also, (I don't mean to bash ships here) I personally always felt that when Katara and Aang got together in the end, she was more of a reward for him than anything else. As if she was purely made to be the Avatars girl, and she wasn't allowed to experiment into her own relationships.  
>I adored writing about the different folklores. I wish they included more in the actual series.<br>And, most importantly, I wanted to say about how the prologue was more of an insight into the future of the story and all of its potential. There are still some loose ends, and there will be a four part epilogue, and it will be in Zuko's POV. I'm excited to write it, I must say. So, there is still more to come. I don't know exactly when that will be, hopefully during Zutara week when the urge hits me!  
>It would be brash and unrealistic to believe that Zuko and Katara would live happily ever after in any circumstance. He is too loyal to his nation, and she to hers. I highly doubt that Katara would never become 'Fire Lady'. I find it sad, but inevitable that they would grow apart as they tried to rebuild their broken civilisation. But I also find it highly likely that their love would ever diminish, and instead grow much stronger.<br>It was getting a bit heated toward the end, but they're so young, I know that neither of them would go any further than that.  
>I'd like to include that this story meant a lot to me in that- well, I was a bit like Zuko in a myriad of ways. I sort of went through a bad stage, went off the rails. I watched Avatar as a kid, and when I read 'Stormbenders' by Fandomme (truly amazing Zutarian fic, I highly recommend it) I rediscovered my love for A:TLA and got back into it all.(But this time as a Zutara shipper)<br>I hope that I portrayed the characters as well as possible. I have to admit, although I enjoyed writing in Zuko's perspective, I felt most at home in Katara's.  
>I know that throughout a lot of this story, Katara has been the angry, unmanageable character. I felt the need to do it because in her circumstances, where she had all of these duties thrust upon her and obligations to fulfil, she was allowed to feel angry. The writers rarely showed these moments. I based a lot of the way Katara treated Zuko in chapters 7-10 on how she treated him in The Western Air Temple episode and The Southern Raiders.<br>I apologise if I wrote Toph in a way that was unfamiliar. She was never shown in the series as having a love interest apart from Sokka, and even so she never acted upon it. I wrote her in the way that I thought she would have acted in her circumstances.  
>In chapter 8 *Always Attract* I hope that you picked up on the way I shifted things around a little. It is clear, as anyone can see that fire and water are opposites, and in season 1 their personalities definitely reflect each other, BUT; I depicted Katara as the cruel one and Zuko as the understanding. I did this because I noticed in season 3 (namely the two episodes I mentioned earlier) Katara always seemed to be harsh to Zuko, where he would in turn be quite and kind, understanding. It seemed that they switched roles to in 'Crossroads of Destiny' when Katara was BOTH harsh and understanding. Harsh at first, but eager to be understanding after Zuko admitted that they both shared a common ground- the loss of their mothers.<br>I wonder if any of you noticed in 'Unlikely Allies' the part where the stars were like 'hope in a dome of oblivion', and then Zuko comes along. He's her hope. Some insight fluff for you there.  
>I realise that there are various grammar mistakes in this fic, but I hope you understand that they were accidents, and relatively rare!<br>I titled this fic The Book of Tian Yao, because even though it may seem to have little effect on the story- it is a main component that ties their becoming relationship together. If it weren't for the book, then the Gaang would have hesitated about allowing Zuko to join when he did. And if it weren't for the book, Zuko would have betrayed them (by going back to the fire nation to retrieve it and realising his destiny with his uncle etc.) Finally, it was the book that drove Katara and Zuko into the forest, and whilst ultimately giving them the fight of their lives, bringing them together and making them realise how compatible they are, even if Katara dejects him at first.  
>Thank you all for your time, I hope you enjoy the epilogue. It's going to be emotional. Flamio Hotmen!<strong>_


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